Mass Effect

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, at the very least they could have just had what's his name

 

 

come back in the shuttle to get them. That would have seemed less weird.

 

[Waldorf and Statler]

STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE

[Strangelove]

 

Cortez.

 

Who has tons of emotional issues if you bother to talk to him.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, I talked to him a lot, I just was blanking on his name for some reason and didn't care to google it.

[CorgiShinobi]

Quick question: How much does the Extended Cut affect? I just picked up at "Restart Citadel" so I didn't have to go through all the combat again.

 

Otherwise, I have to agree with both sides (obviously only partially for either one).

 

Half of it is a sort of, "Yeah, you pretty much guessed this would happen," but at the same time it's more fleshed out than something that's the average length of a YouTube video. I think allowing for more of context given by asking the Catalyst is a smart move because there were people that, believe it or not, didn't understand what the three different colors would do before choosing.

 

As was said before, if these were the endings that were originally in the game, I do believe there would have been far less outcry. The endings are significantly more varied, whether by visuals or the dialogue. I was satisfied with them, but maybe that's just because these are much better than the husks we previously had.

 

As for each different ending... (especially that 4th ending).

 

I still chose Synthesis, and I'll explain that later.

 

Synthesis/Control > Destroy > Refuse

 

"Control" varies to me. If you were a Shepard that was overly Paragon, than I think it would be tied with Synthesis. However, as a Renegade Shepard, having your conscious become that for all the Reapers seems ominous. Even the music associated with "Shepard AI" was a mix between peaceful and foreboding. You effectively become the new Catalyst who has deemed itself as the guardian of all precious life. Yet, at the same time the dialogue mimics The Illusive Man's words of "power" and "control."

 

In Control, the Reapers become the tools for the people, but in Synthesis, the Reapers become tools of the people. While Control shows the Reapers helping to repair and in some ways advance civilization, Synthesis shows that all the knowledge and technology of the previous cycles became a resource to everyone. When the Krogan's are rebuilding, it is through Synthesis that they build even greater structures than before. It is through Synthesis that we see the Quarians without their masks. Rather than still being reliant on a greater technology, the people have become that greater technology.

 

Is it still weird? Yeah, it kinda put me at unease when the more fleshy of the "synthesized" had glowing green parts. I liked the eyes, but still creepy. Though, unlike in Control when Shepard AI goes on about "immortality," the people have gained a more self-realized form of immortality rather than becoming an AI.

 

On Destroy... this use to be the better ending, especially with Indoctrination Theory. Now it's the bittersweet ending. If you saved the Geth and got EDI and Jeff to be a thing, you're pretty much destroying them. Oh, and (supposedly momentarily) most of technology. I guess everything would just need to be rebooted. Sadly, EDI isn't one of those things, no matter what some people have said. Even when Anderson talks about "we can rebuild," can they really rebuild the Mass Relays? In ME2's "Arrival," part of the story was how people were afraid to tamper with the Mass Relays, so only the basic details were known. Even if eventually they could be repaired, this would take soooooooooooooo long. This is an ending that maintains the reality that "Hey, aren't we kinda stuck on this planet?" and "Now how long until we reach my homeworld?"

 

The new "Refusal" ending. I love how people think this is "EA's middlefinger to us" ending because of how much it makes me laugh. Of course this would be the more tragic ending! After all the sacrifice you put into reaching the ending, this choice amounts to "nope." You're somehow able to walk away from this, having to explain to everyone "I didn't want to make a sacrifice to achieve our goal" and subsequently continue with a "lets press on" approach even though Earth was, for all intents and purposes, the FINAL ASSAULT! Maybe if you went through the entire game and were only given the Destroy-Crap variant ending this would be your choice, but c'mon folks!

 

[Hot Heart]

 

 

You missed that little squadmate pick-up scene if you just loaded from the Citadel, Atomsk. And the beam run is slightly different overall.

 

Synthesis makes me uneasy because it's just too convenient that I don't buy it. To paraphrase: "Synthetics seek understanding of organics". We don't even understand ourselves! And the starkid says that they had thought of the solution before but couldn't force it...but this time it's different...because Shepard throws himself into a beam?

 

I think all the endings are meant to be happy in their own way and down to your own personal interpretation or an expression of your ideals (and I find that really interesting). Even though the extended cut does make it look like they are being presented in ascending order, and Synthesis requires the highest EMS.

 

Edited June 28, 2012 by Hot Heart

[CorgiShinobi]

How I took that is...

 

Synthetics would understand questions like how Legion asked if he had a soul. EDI's dialogue is partially focused on how she is now truly alive. Beforehand, we had to give her insight into human nature and how it related to Jeff. Also, if we were all connected, we would have a greater understanding of ourselves as a whole. Obviously there would still be questions of the individual, but the people would shift into an entirely different scenario.

 

As for the previous "method," it could be either the creation of Reapers or indoctrination in general. No one would willingly go, "Hey, I want to become part of a giant flying spaceship that will carry our genetic material!" With the Crucible, it's affecting both organics and synthetics in an unimposing manner as in no one side is turning the other "synthesized."

 

Edited June 28, 2012 by Atomsk88

[Hot Heart]

 

 

Not to tear down the interpretation or anything, but part of human (or organic) nature relates to our differences and striving to be better (which is what is supposed to lead to the tech singularity robots killing everything). Synthesis completely alters the organic experience and seems to threaten some sort of stagnation on every level, which sounds less than ideal.

 

Obviously, you can just paint it in two different lights, and it just feels too out of place for me to see it positively. Thus I chose a different ending, catered for by the game.

 

Edited June 28, 2012 by Hot Heart

[TheMightyEthan]

I chose

 

 

Destroy again because I really feel it's the only one that fits with my Shepard. He has fought so hard to stop the Reapers, and since the discovery of the Crucible plans that has meant destroying them, and damned if he's going to let some hologram kid, who may be lying for all he knows, talk him out of it. It sucks that EDI and the Geth and other synthetics all have to be destroyed in the process, but no one species is more important than the entire galaxy. I'm also confident that given the choice EDI would gladly sacrifice herself, though I'm less sure about the Geth.

 

[Strangelove]

 

I did feel that my ending was a lot more optimistic than the old one. For instance, I didnt think theyd be able to repair the mass relays so quickly. I figured something like that would take decades or even centuries. Im not exactly sure why I thought that, maybe I was just thinking negatively. Or maybe the thought of a real mass relay blows my fucking mind, so I assume theyre very complicated. Then again, werent mass relays already there and built by the reapers or something like that? None of the organics presently living can build one, can they? So I figure they cant fix them either.

But in this new ending, Starchild deliberately states that organics can easily rebuild the relays, so does Hackett at the end.

 

And ive actually never chosen the control option because it just feels like something that would backfire eventually. I know Shepard isnt the Illusive Man, but it still makes me uneasy. I should probably check that out on Youtube. Ive always picked the same one since the game came out.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, I actually wish that

 

 

Destroy had irreparably destroyed the Mass Relays. That would have made it much more interesting.

 

[Strangelove]

 

Yeah, going from uniting the galaxy to forever dividing it would have been bittersweet...or just bitter.

 

Seeing this new ending also made me feel like a sequel is possible now. I dont care if there is or there isnt, but now that I can see that my overall team members(with the exception of EDI, Thane, and Mordin) survived and my Shepard survived, I don't see why not.

Before I was really upset at the thought that EDI AND Garrus died helping me to the beam, and then I died too, and then that the relays were destroyed beyond repair, but if you build up your readiness and watch the new ending, it really makes the whole thing optimistic with most things intact except the reapers.

Also, isnt EDI inside the Normandy for the most part? Maybe they can salvage some of it and bring her back. I dont know what it says about me when I find the robot the most attractive person in that galaxy. And the funniest. Eesh.

 

Anyways, the Mass Effect galaxy always felt like it was a galaxy stuck in a destructive loop more than just the reapers keeping it that way. Moreso, the organics were the problem, so no matter what you do, shittier things than the Reapers can divide everyone again. I just feel its ridiculously easy to make a sequel even with the reapers gone because people are too fucked up in general to let peace win.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

I think the problem is

 

 

that Reaper tech is inextricably integrated into EDI, without it she's just a rogue VI, and that tech was destroyed.

 

[Strangelove]

I forgot about that. Oh well. She didn't have a soul, so Im ok with it.

[TheMightyEthan]

She didn't have a soul, so Im ok with it.

 

lmao

[Hot Heart]

 

 

I chose Destroy for a multitude of reasons, though I was drawn to Control.

 

Control is a bit like "No one has to die, I will sacrifice myself to become guardian of the galaxy!" (or if you're a renegade "Dictator of the galaxy"). There's just the idea of Dr. Manhattan in the back of my mind that worries me.

 

Synthesis creeps me out for a number of reasons, and is too heady a subject to introduce just like that.

 

As has probably been said, the starkid's logic is seriously messed up and to have gone through something like 720 cycles and not have come up with a better plan sounds ridiculous. I know it's threads hanging from all sorts of abandoned plots, but if we evolve along the lines the Reapers intended, then they have done something very wrong in the first place (human Reaper meant to solve dark energy problem). And a technological singularity is still full of the unknown that I don't think you could predict what might happen.

 

Not to mention that the starkid admits to being an AI, and says something about the race who created not agreeing to becoming a Reaper (WTF?!) and it gives me the impression that the whole shebang just needs to go.

 

EDI replaced Miranda and became a plot linchpin. Screw her!

 

Edited June 28, 2012 by Hot Heart

[Mercurial]

Why can't we just destroy the whole universe and everyone's happy?

[Eleven]

So I've watched all the other endings...

 

And I was right, Control still appears to be my personal choice. For me, their ranking was:

 

 

 

Control > Destroy > Synthesis > Refusal is what they're calling it.

 

 

Control: Hot Heart mentioned earlier that he thinks the endings are an expression of your ideals. I agree. If I was given those options, I would choose Control, because it really seems to me to be the perfect option. There's this group of machines hell bent on killing us, and I'm given the choice to stop (control) them, and only them. Now instead of that, they could (will) help all species progress. Someone also mentioned something similar earlier, but yeah I also got the feeling of fear/hope when Shepard began talking at the epilogue. If that was what they were really aiming for, then they nailed it.

 

Now there's that fear that Shepard might abuse her power. Yeah, maybe the rest of the galaxy will think that way. Hot Heart mentioned a few posts back. But this really is a non-issue to me because I am Shepard, and I'd never let that happen. Sounds like a dictatorship, but a dictatorship with someone worthy of leading is at the helm. Yes, people will have a problem with that. I personally don't. That's why I like the control ending. It might sound selfish, but "it's for the greater good". To clarify though, I would probably just stand at the sidelines and let things happen as they normally would, and just step in when a real threat arrises.

 

I like the Destroy ending better than Synthesis. If you think in the Control ending you would be spoon-feeding the rest of the galaxy with reaper tech (like the reapers did, and guiding all civilizations on a pre-determined path) then with Synthesis you just gave it all away all at once. I heard what EDI said. She was alive. It really felt, to me at least, like organics got the short end of the stick in this ending. I feel like the synthetics gained more from this. They never really showed what having glowing yellow eyes does to organics, just that they do gain knowledge from the reapers.

 

Actually, you know what. Now that I think about it, I really can't decide which I liked better, Destroy or Synthesis. If these were the only two choices, I don't know what to pick. Wiping out a race is too much, but then that synthesis just doesn't appeal to me... I don't know...

 

The refusal ending was as expected. But yeah it was funny once I read what people are saying about it. Did Bioware really do that to piss people off? Maybe. Maybe not. Because you cannot argue that what they showed is not going to be the outcome of that choice. There's just no way. Yeah what if the starchild lied, well he didn't so you are screwed.

 

Also you know why people are saying it's Bioware's fuck you to them? It's because when you shoot the starchild with your infinite ammo pistol you get that ending. You probably know but in case you don't, it's a fun easter egg.

 

 

[TheMightyEthan]

It really felt, to me at least, like organics got the short end of the stick in this ending. I feel like the synthetics gained more from this. They never really showed what having glowing yellow eyes does to organics, just that they do gain knowledge from the reapers.

 

I think that in that ending

 

 

there really isn't a difference between synthetics and organics anymore. It made everyone into cyborgs, essentially, giving biology to synthetics and technology to organics.

 

 

I really don't get why people are upset about the new ending. I thought it was a great addition.

[Eleven]

Because they couldn't accept the fact that starchild was telling the truth, or that starbrat, as he is called now (or maybe even months back), even exists.

 

I think we're fine with the endings because we are willing to believe in the existence of starchild. It all boils down to that, I think.

 

 

Yeah about synthesis, I get that. Everyone's the same now. It's like you have 10 dollars and I have 50 cents. Then someone gave us some money so we both have 20 bucks. I know it's awful but that's how I felt.

 

[Thursday Next]

Americans hate Synthesis because it is communism.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah about synthesis, I get that. Everyone's the same now. It's like you have 10 dollars and I have 50 cents. Then someone gave us some money so we both have 20 bucks. I know it's awful but that's how I felt.

 

I don't understand what you mean.

[Eleven]

 

It looks like we're both better off. And it's true, we are. But I really ggot more out of this than you. I don't think it's fair that just because you are already better off that you don't get as much out of this deal than me.

 

It's an awful comparison. But I don't see what organics has to gain. I feel like AIs "feeling alive" is way better than organics being interconnected to one another, or having the computing power of a geth. We can already do that, through the use of computers.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

That seems like a really weird definition of "fair" to me... A thing is bad because one group doesn't benefit from it as much as another group does?

[Hot Heart]

Wait, in my ending...

 

...did I KILL MY ROBOT DOG?! NOOOOOOOOO!