[Alexis Acevedo]

Just saw this now. Its ridiculously coherent and makes so much sense.

I have begun to spread the link, and I would request you to do so too.

Another one of those "funny because it's true" things

But yes, i agree. ME3 ending was pretty poor compared to the rest of the game. However seeing how the events leading up to the ending are setup, i doubt they can do a "Broken Steel" like expansion. And i doubt they'll change only the endings.

As... LONG... as they... FIIXXX THA DAAAMMMM ENDIIINNGGGNGNGNGNGNGN


Capitalized and extended for emphasis.

Okay, medium ending for me then. It's alright. But it still doesn't explain how some of my guys made it back on the Normandy and where the hell Joker was flying it at the end.


It earns you some extra Crucible war assets, because when the ship is saved

Spoiler

the human reaper's brain is found in The Illusive Man's ship which is transferred to the crucible.

I think Bioware got indoctrinated by EA.

The Normandy thing is another thing better just left out. I mean, Joker is now abandoned on an isolated planet with my to-be wife and my best friend (Liara and Garrus, respectively). Good for Joker but I think he would find more joy in his illegal-in-Council-space porm than my G'DAMN WIFE.

As for the Reaper, I only found its heart which nets me 100 points. Fair enough I suppose. It was one of the hardest decisions in the game and besides saving the council the only Paragon world-defining choice I made in my main playthrough.

BioWare is Indoctrinated by EA, indeed. Though I wonder how much EA has to do with this fiasco. They certainly had their meddling with Javik and Multiplayer (preparing us for Mass Effect shooter spin-offs) but the ending? I usually view conspiracy theories with great disgust but this time I'm leaning on the theory that this is just a genius orchestration to svck up some more money from the gullible masses.

[Christine Pane]

BioWare is Indoctrinated by EA, indeed. Though I wonder how much EA has to do with this fiasco. They certainly had their meddling with Javik and Multiplayer (preparing us for Mass Effect shooter spin-offs) but the ending? I usually view conspiracy theories with great disgust but this time I'm leaning on the theory that this is just a genius orchestration to svck up some more money from the gullible masses.

I'm guessing that a fair bit may have been meddled with and/or sacrificed to ram through the multiplayer part of things: I'm now really suspecting that some of the more incongruous bits are due to some last-minute changes to not just accommodate it but to make it essential to get anything approaching a happy ending. And of course EA loves multiplayer because it's the closest thing they're likely to get to the subscription model that seems to be many software companies' holy grail.

[Mandy Muir]

I'm mostly okay with my Destroy ending.

Spoiler

Earth is saved and so is the rest of the galaxy, but everyone is basically in a new 'dark age' where most technology is non functional and the entire galaxy is isolated from each other because the relays are gone. It's a big throwback to the time before the discovery of the mass effect technology.

That's sort of okay. I wasn't expecting there to be a super perfect happy ending with everyone alive and continuing business as usual. The only reason to believe that could happen is because 'it is a videogame and Shepard has to be a hero'. Shepard had a tough time destroying even 2 reapers, so destroying all would only be doable with drastic measures with serious consequences.

The most annoying part for me is the plot holes with regards to the Normandy. Why did Joker and everyone leave Earth and crash on a different planet? Fleeing doesn't fit his character, or that of the rest of the squad. I guess Bioware didn't want to write different endings where Joker and the rest would stay on Earth if it was saved, and leave to crash on another planet if it was clear that Earth would be completely destroyed.

And how did my squad members make it onto the ship when they were with me until the last moment? And didn't everyone except me die outside the big light beam anyway?

That's just the ending though. The use of war assets is very disappointing.

[Taylah Illies]

I'm guessing that a fair bit may have been meddled with and/or sacrificed to ram through the multiplayer part of things: I'm now really suspecting that some of the more incongruous bits are due to some last-minute changes to not just accommodate it but to make it essential to get anything approaching a happy ending. And of course EA loves multiplayer because it's the closest thing they're likely to get to the subscription model that seems to be many software companies' holy grail.

It's incredibly annoying how modern game developers are too afraid to tell what's going on. Back in the day when the developers were much more open about their content, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Interactive for one makes games 99% based on user feedback, and they give almost full freedom to users to mod their games and fix them, with the most talented stuff released as official content.

I'm mostly okay with my Destroy ending.

Spoiler

Earth is saved and so is the rest of the galaxy, but everyone is basically in a new 'dark age' where most technology is non functional and the entire galaxy is isolated from each other because the relays are gone. It's a big throwback to the time before the discovery of the mass effect technology.

That's sort of okay. I wasn't expecting there to be a super perfect happy ending with everyone alive and continuing business as usual. The only reason to believe that could happen is because 'it is a videogame and Shepard has to be a hero'. Shepard had a tough time destroying even 2 reapers, so destroying all would only be doable with drastic measures with serious consequences.

The most annoying part for me is the plot holes with regards to the Normandy. Why did Joker and everyone leave Earth and crash on a different planet? Fleeing doesn't fit his character, or that of the rest of the squad. I guess Bioware didn't want to write different endings where Joker and the rest would stay on Earth if it was saved, and leave to crash on another planet if it was clear that Earth would be completely destroyed.

And how did my squad members make it onto the ship when they were with me until the last moment? And didn't everyone except me die outside the big light beam anyway?

Spoiler

Aye, I was relatively pleased with the Destroy ending as well. It's the least nonsensical ending and really the only truly bad thing about the ending itself is the unexplained destruction of the Relays (which should have blown up the whole galaxy).

I don't feel that bad about Relay destruction though. Humanity is still advanced enough to create sufficient technology and half the Galaxy's fleets are in Earth. Settle them down, rebuild in a few years and work for a way to reconnect the homeworlds.

As for squaddies reaching Normandy, that's just one of the many plot holes. Nothing sensible can be said about the matter.
Better leave your LI and best friends back in the lines next time though. They might survive.

Also, destruction of the Relays only proves that eradication of Krogan and Rachni was a good call. When connection is re-established there is no knowing how powerful they could be.

EDIT: still doesn't mean it's an ending I accept, however. It just svcks the least.

[Lil Miss]

It's incredibly annoying how modern game developers are too afraid to tell what's going on. Back in the day when the developers were much more open about their content, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Interactive for one makes games 99% based on user feedback, and they give almost full freedom to users to mod their games and fix them, with the most talented stuff released as official content.

And they admit their mistakes at least.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/15/magickas-buggy-launch-we-didnt-know-the-game-was-being-released/

[Phillip Hamilton]

And they admit their mistakes at least.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/15/magickas-buggy-launch-we-didnt-know-the-game-was-being-released/

I have always respected Paradox for being open, honest and forthcoming about their mistakes and goodies as well. I have been their loyal fan since 2003 and respect their attitude of keeping us Dinosaurs happy by allowing release of user-made updates their old titles (like Hearts of Iron: Darkest Hour which is a 2011 remake of the 2004 original game)

P.S. those who agree I would like you to spread the message by linking
http://i.imgur.com/JhtqY.jpg
to people.

It's definitely the most coherent alt-end plan out there and I think sheer pressure could make BW take a look.

[Cat Haines]

I don't know if someone linked this already but... Wow. No words.

http://s.lurkmore.to/images/4/46/Bioware_hackwork.jpg

Not so sure that comment is legit but the image is obvious.

[LADONA]

An insightful post on the Bioware forums by an investor into EA.
jb1983:

Bad publicity can sometimes still be good publicity. For instance, if you release a game and it becomes controversial because of sixual themes or violence, that can cause more people to look at it. Really, the only type of bad publicity is when your customers rebel against your product.

And this is what's been going on with Bioware. The fan base has reacted very strongly against them. We have articles in USA Today, international business times, gamespot, and many others, not to mention it's been picked up by CNN and Fox News and other mainstream news sources.

None of that is good publicity. As someone who owns stock in companies, when I see multiple customers rail against a company, the first thing I tend to do is sell. Now sometimes I figure the railing will go away at some point, allowing me to buy the stock at a cheaper price. But the way Bioware has handled themselves here, I wouldn't feel comfortable buying EA's stock.

In fact (and it's early, so we have to be careful with projections), today is the first day since the 8th of March that EA has made positive gains. On the 8th (before most people had finished the endings) they closed at $17.40. Right now they're almost to that point. But think about this - they jumped up over a dollar after the release, only to plumit once fan reactions started coming out. After releasing what should have been a blockbuster hit, EA's stock took a tumble.

Are you paying attention to this Bioware/EA? Your stock should have risen at least $1-$3 after the release, not dropped. It should have risen due to the speculation in future DLC being purchase, future people investing in the actual game who's minds weren't made up yet, and so on. Yet, the stock has dropped, meaning some investors are afraid of buying your stock until this issue is resolved or blows over.

On January 3, EA's stock was around $21 a share. It's not closer to $17.20 a share (though it's gone as low as $16.50). The ME launch started to help the stock around the 8th when it jumped up, but as stated previously fan reactions showed up to the ending and the stock subsequently shot down.

So don't you get it? How do you solve this? Fix the endings. And it doesn't have to be immediate. Simply commit to, "We're going to fix the endings," make that knowledge public, and people will feel better about purchasing your products. I know for me that if Bioware announces they're fixing the endings, I'm probably going to pour some money into EA's stock as it could allow for a quick return. But that's just me approaching this as a gamer and from a business mindset - and I could be wrong. After all, it's not like I'm trading in millions on the stock market, I'm just doing it as a way to make small gains.

In the thread he goes into more detail as a few ask him questions. It is the first marked sign we're starting to affect them and their wallets. The only way we can really get them to listen. This http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/5693540/img/Anonymous/DA2DAO-2.jpg might explain why they've been doing so bad lately. Or at least help to explain.

[Trevi]

Welp, not having played 2 or 3 entirely, I decided to watch the notorious ending anyway. That was quite dumb. I reckon they just used TVTropes as their guideline.

[Luis Reyma]

I commented on the stock tali image earlier, its really poor, they take a stock image from the net, thats why they have artists onboard, and basically changing an image from a deviantart user thats really bad, but even worse getting caught, i know i have an excuse its an easter egg suprise everyone, it was there to make you think, or we are just crap, its a bit like stealing stuff off the net for your exam, and they were so cheap to get a free domain gettyimage.

In the art of the mass effect universe, on the child page, it says One child would be the face of the people on earth whom shepard could not save.

[Chloe Lou]

I commented on the stock tali image earlier, its really poor, they take a stock image from the net, thats why they have artists onboard, and basically changing an image from a deviantart user thats really bad, but even worse getting caught, i know i have an excuse its an easter egg suprise everyone, it was there to make you think, or we are just crap, its a bit like stealing stuff off the net for your exam, and they were so cheap to get a free domain gettyimage.

They totally should have paid the deviantartist (heh) and just used that. If they were going to use third-party stuff anyway, they might as well have had all the stock content made for them by their talented fans instead. That would have been a great PR move.

I'm not even a professional writing/marketing/PR person and I come up with better ideas than these people had for ME3.

[Alisha Clarke]

As... LONG... as they... FIIXXX THA DAAAMMMM ENDIIINNGGGNGNGNGNGNGN

I disagree with the word "fix". It's not broken, it's just stupid.

[Neliel Kudoh]

Spoiler

Earth is saved and so is the rest of the galaxy, but everyone is basically in a new 'dark age' where most technology is non functional and the entire galaxy is isolated from each other because the relays are gone. It's a big throwback to the time before the discovery of the mass effect technology.

Spoiler

Except that before the discovery of the mass relays, no one was dependent on them. You now have large colonies spread throughout the galaxy that are not self-sufficient. They rely on "bread basket" worlds in other systems. Even if those systems are close by, the Reapers' targeting of fuel stations combined with fleet losses are going to leave a lot of populations dying out of starvation. And who knows how much even the home worlds have moved away from self-sufficiency since the discovery of the relays? This can only lead to suffering and death on a massive scale -- not much of an improvement over what the Reapers were bringing -- at least for the near future.

And that's without getting into how it invalidates much of what you've accomplished. What's the point of retaking the Quarians' homeworld if practically their entire population is stranded on the other end of the galaxy? What's the point of uniting the entire galaxy if the races were all going to end up isolated from each other anyway?

That all of this happens is not the sole problem. That Shepard never questions any of it is what's really bothering a lot of people. He's told that all of this is necessary by the most monstrous individual that has ever existed -- someone directly responsible for trillions upon trillions of deaths and the fall of thousands of galactic civilizations -- and he just takes it all in stride and goes along with it, never questions, never challenges, never considers alternatives.

[My blood]

I commented on the stock tali image earlier, its really poor, they take a stock image from the net, thats why they have artists onboard, and basically changing an image from a deviantart user thats really bad, but even worse getting caught, i know i have an excuse its an easter egg suprise everyone, it was there to make you think, or we are just crap, its a bit like stealing stuff off the net for your exam, and they were so cheap to get a free domain gettyimage.

I don't have a problem with the space picture, stock footage itself is not that special when the focus is not in the art, but that Tali thing is just wrong.
1) It was an established thing that we would never see a Quarian face. If Tali survives she takes off her mask but her face is not seen.
2) Hair? Why would a Quarian have long, well maintained hair?
3) It's part of the charm that we don't see Quarians' faces.

I disagree with the word "fix". It's not broken, it's just stupid.

In the name of common use. Everyone else uses the word fix and thus I don't see any problem with it.

I can't think of any better verbs. "replace with a better alternative" is too long.

[Mr.Broom30]

I don't have a problem with the space picture, stock footage itself is not that special when the focus is not in the art, but that Tali thing is just wrong.
1) It was an established thing that we would never see a Quarian face. If Tali survives she takes off her mask but her face is not seen.
2) Hair? Why would a Quarian have long, well maintained hair?
3) It's part of the charm that we don't see Quarians' faces.

I say that gos under the box labeled "Never happend!".
"I call it BLASPHEMY!"

[Mrs. Patton]

http://youtu.be/UEY8tJIEOzA

[scorpion972]

Here people are complaining about the ending and most agree about what it should involve (see Wyatt's link in page 3). If BW takes on the topic it will be as per majority desires and it will correct the ending. Nothing else we desire - the ending is the only bad thing one can say about the game.

Thats not entirely true. Had the ending not been so blindingly awful, we would complain about the war assets, how galactic readiness degrades over time and only improves by playing multiplayer.

[Bambi]

Nothing else we desire - the ending is the only bad thing one can say about the game.

I don't know who this "we" is. I certainly have plenty of other gripes with the game. Exhibit 1 -- the horrible camera. Exhibit 2 -- wave combat. Exhibit 3 -- the majority of characters' blandness. Etc.

[Kevin S]

And i didnt know i could find my hamster, thats what im annoyed at, poor thing lost nothing to eat, and my fish died from me2, all that time i kept running back to feed them, the humanity.

[Shannon Marie Jones]

And i didnt know i could find my hamster

I think I preferred not knowing. Trying to catch the little bugger was by far the hardest thing in ME3. No, the entire series in fact.

[Daddy Cool!]

Thats not entirely true. Had the ending not been so blindingly awful, we would complain about the war assets, how galactic readiness degrades over time and only improves by playing multiplayer.

Quite true, unfortunately, but they are minor gripes compared to the other things. Also, the ending is important because it concludes a years old story. Galactic readiness is just one gameplay inconvenience.

I don't know who this "we" is. I certainly have plenty of other gripes with the game. Exhibit 1 -- the horrible camera. Exhibit 2 -- wave combat. Exhibit 3 -- the majority of characters' blandness. Etc.

Very true, but the ending is one thing everyone agrees is something that needs to be refined.
1 and 2 I have no problem with and 3 I did not really notice.

[Emilie M]

what happens at the end of the game

depending on how good or bad it is may make or break my idea of buying this game (liek if i had known about Red Dead Redemption ending i probably wouldnt of bought it cuz that ending made continuing playing it rather boring and not as awesome)

[Claire]

what happens at the end of the game

The space hamster escapes again.

Other than that, I find it rather hard to sum up because it's so nonsensical.

[Nikki Morse]

The space hamster escapes again.

Other than that, I find it rather hard to sum up because it's so nonsensical.

i thought the space hamster was just some random object you add to your room in ME2 o.0 or are you referring to somethign else?

[Kat Ives]

i thought the space hamster was just some random object you add to your room in ME2 o.0 or are you referring to somethign else?

That was a joke. [/EDI] Though you do have the opportunity to try to recapture it earlier in the game as it escapes during the SR2's refit, and it really is bloody awkward (or at least if you're as cack-handed as me.)