The relationship between video game developers and fans has
entered a new realm. Never before in the
history of gaming can I remember fans having such an impact on a game that is
already on the market. For a few months
fans like me have been crying for a new ending, or at least an expansion to the
ending we got, and Bioware delivered.
Now despite what you may think about their “fixed” ending knows this, they
cared enough to at least try to satisfy their fans. Hell, maybe they did it for themselves as
well. They saw the potential to right a
wrong and labored for months to release a FREE expansion to an ending they had
already “completed”. It should have been
what was included with the original release, but the fact that they had the
integrity to right this wrong solidifies my place as a Bioware fan.
I stated in my last article that the last five minutes of
the game destroys the credibility of the writers. It took away everything that defined Mass
Effect and forced an unwanted ending no matter what we chose. But maybe I’m wrong to assume that it is the fault
of the writers. Perhaps they were rushed
or overruled with the plot decisions. No
matter how it went down, the ending was terrible and literally tore apart
everything that made me love the franchise.
Choices were stolen from me and new plot holes were opened rather than
the old ones closing. Then entire thing
was a disaster. I’m happy to say though,
that Bioware has delivered and satisfied my need for closure with this
story. In my last article titled, “Mass
Effect 3 Broke My Heart,” I listed off my top ten reasons for disliking that
piss poor excuse of an ending. In this
article I will revisit my statements and tell you what has been fixed. Keep in mind that the ending is the same, but
many of the unanswered questions and loop holes have been tended to.
1.
My first complaint was about the sixteen “wildly”
different endings that were promised, yet undelivered. Each ending was practically the same thing
minus the color of the explosion. For my
last review I only watched the separate endings on Youtube to verify that they
were the same. I didn’t really want to
go through and witness the same ending three times in a row, especially because
I was very upset at the time. That has
all changed though because the Extended Cut DLC offers different endings, all
unique in their own way. Each ending,
(Syntesis, Renegade, Paragon, and Rejection) all have their OWN unique
endings. They are similar here and there
due to their origins, but the end result was a lot better than different
colored explosions followed by the EXACT same sequences. At least this time around it feels as if my
decisions made a difference for the outcome rather than being forced into the
same exact outcome no matter how I played the trilogy.
2.
Why did the Normandy crew just bail on their
Commander? This was probably one of the
biggest piss offs for me because I’ve grown to love these characters and this heinous
act just tarnished their credibility. I
just couldn’t accept the fact that they would flee like a bunch of wimps after
everything that they had been through. These
are the same people that walked into a suicide mission with me during the
events of the last game. They knew full
well then what the consequences could be, what changed their minds about
now? On top of that cowardice, it made
me feel that they were never really loyal.
The entire game made me feel like I was surrounded by loyal people who
would die for me, and that was destroyed in a matter of seconds. Fortunately this was something else that was
fixed. After Sheppard activates his/her
option, Admiral Hackett orders the fleets to retreat. Joker is shown going on about his badassery
when Garrus tells him that it’s time. To
me it’s a logical reason. We created
this weapon that is supposed to wipe out all the reapers in the galaxy, I’d
back away from the blast zone too. This
brings back the credibility that was lost because instead of fleeing from
battle, they were fleeing from an explosion that could take out more than just
the bad guys. It makes sense and I
accept it.
3.
How did the crew that was on the ground with me
wind up on the Normandy as it was fleeing?
The last time I saw Liara and Ashley was when we were all running
towards the conduit. Yet at the end of the
game I see them step off of the ship with Joker after the Normandy’s crash
landing. Even other characters that were
back at the rendezvous on Earth wound up on the ship. But when and how did they manage that? Fixed.
During the run, your squad almost gets crushed by a Mako and one of them
actually winds up hurt. Sheppard calls
Joker in for an evacuation and we get to see whoever is in our squad safely
leave the battlefield. In my case, it
was more emotional because Sheppard said his last goodbye to his love
interest. The story flows much better
with these types of holes sealed up.
4.
The Star Child was a massive complaint from me
because he was full of shit. He was
introduced in the last five minutes of the game which I felt was rather tacky. He stated that he created synthetics to
destroy organics to prevent those organics from creating synthetics that might
in turn destroy the organics. Sounds
crazy right? Well that’s not exactly
fixed, but it also kind of is. I never
liked how my Sheppard just kept taking this bullshit by hanging onto the kids
every word. Not once did he argue with
him or give him a valid counterpoint to think about. Nope. This
time around, instead of sitting there and taking all of this kids crap,
Sheppard can actually interact and give him some lip. We get more information about the reapers and
a little bit about their creators. We
learn that the original reaper was the first civilization to be harvested
(which I believe was also the creators).
I still think the kid is full of crap for the most part, but the
gratifying thing about this confrontation is that it gives Sheppard a lot more
leeway in his reactions rather than having him sit back and accept this crappy
fate that this no named piece of shit is feeding him. Synthetics will destroy organics who created
synthetics that could potentially destroy turn on them and wipe them out. Good thing, it could have been a massacre.
5.
Complaints five and six can actually be answered
at the same time here. The Mass Relays
were completely destroyed in the original ending, which as we have seen in the
Arrival DLC, wipes out an entire system.
So if every relay is destroyed, wouldn’t that mean every system that
houses one would be destroyed too? That
would mean that both the reapers and ALL advanced organic life would be non-existent. Even if the relays didn’t destroy the systems
they were in, the entire galaxy is in the Sol system because that’s where the
final battle took place. The final
battle was on a planet that probably can’t even feed its own people anymore,
let alone a bunch of aliens, most of whom can’t eat human food. Starvation seems like the only plausible
outcome, at least until they FIXED IT! The
relays don’t get completely destroyed in the Extended Cut DLC. Sure they take some hefty damage and stop
working, but from the looks of it, they seem like they can be repaired rather
easily.
6.
The fact that I reach the end of the game and my
choices meant nothing was a major downer.
As I stated in response to my first complaint, each choice renders its
own unique ending, and this time a fourth option is available. I know a lot of people could care less about
it, but to me it exposed a very real possibility, which is why I love this game. The rejection option allows Sheppard to do
exactly what I wanted to do, say fuck off to the Star Child and decide my own
fate. Unfortunately if you choose that
option you get wiped out, completely.
Bioware took into consideration every possible outcome and getting
decimated was a great one. And even
though it feels like a huge failure, it’s not.
The sequence to this ending showed the time capsule that Liara
put together to help save the civilizations in the next cycle from defeat. It’s bittersweet, we didn’t get to accomplish
this, but we’ve made it so you can, go nuts.
I was just in awe when I saw that because I spent three games trying to
prevent that very thing from happening and in reality, not everything has a
happy ending. It was also great because
that decision was based on CHOICE! This
ending along with three other tastefully rendered endings brought about closure
and made me happy.
7.
Here come the downers. The minor things that bugged me about the
original ending still don’t make sense to me.
Like why was Citadel brought to Earth and why was there a single point
of entry that led directly to the control room?
Why did Harbinger leave the conduit unprotected while there was still
activity on the ground, knowing full well that if the arms of the Citadel are
opened, his race could be destroyed? How
does Anderson beat Sheppard to the top? How is it that Anderson tells Sheppard they came up in different areas, yet he beats Sheppard to the
control panel, despite the fact that when Sheppard walks out of the room he’s in there is only ONE walkway to the
control panel from Sheppards EXACT location? How does the Illusive man
get there, why isn’t Anderson blown to hell like Sheppard, how is it that
Anderson was shot in his left side yet it’s Sheppard who is clutching a fresh
wound in that exact spot? Why the hell
are the trees from Sheppard’s dreams still behind him after he is knocked
down? Not one fucking answer, but that’s
okay because I can live with it considering they’re minor imperfections that
I’m being anal about.
8. How does the Illusive control both Anderson and
Sheppard? I mean, he himself is
indoctrinated, not Sheppard and Anderson.
Throughout the entire series that capability has been non-existent, so why
now? The Illusive man had recently found
out how to control other people, sure, but his methods were the same as the
Reapers which turned his subjects into monsters. Sheppard and Anderson aren’t husks, so what
gives? We may never know how this came
to be because they didn’t address it.
9.
I just didn’t like the ending scene where the
Stargazer was talking to the child about “The Sheppard”. I found it to be corny and useless, but that
honestly would have been my opinion regardless.
This wasn’t a matter that was fixed, not that it really needed to be.
Oh yes, the Indoctrination Theory has been disproved. How awesome would that have been though to
see our hero have this inner battle at the end of the game? I was half hoping my Sheppard would be successful
in his endeavors, only to wake up to a final boss battle against
Harbinger. Nope, the endings are what
they are, but you have to admit that it was a very clever idea considering all
of the strange things that seemed to line up.
The trees from Sheppard’s dreams are still behind you during the last
sequence. The little boy that no one
seems to notice wasn’t addressed. Sheppard
clutches a fresh bullet wound in the exact same spot that Anderson was
shot. It may have been a coincidence,
but it would have been an awesome alternative.
I’m actually okay with it either way though because Bioware delivered on
what they promised. Closure. A three minute slideshow/cut scene plays after
the events of the original ending and gives us a glimpse of the people that
fought beside us and that we have grown connections with. Jack is shown talking to her students, Zaeed
is shown lounging in a lawn chair, and Samara is shown with her daughter (to
name a few). I saved Samara from suicide
and it was nice to see that she kept her promise about going back to see her
last child. It was nice to see the
Reapers vacate the other worlds in the galaxy so that we could see the scale of
what we accomplished. It was nice to see
a tribute made to the fallen squad mates as well. The most touching was when Sheppard’s love
interest put his name on the memorial wall on the Normandy. I’ve walked by that wall so many times during
my play through and even read all of the names of the people who died serving
on the Normandy. Seeing Admiral
Anderson’s name alongside Sheppard’s was surreal, and melancholic. But it gave me the closure that I didn’t have
before and I’m happy to have an end. I
kind of wish I didn’t play Mass Effect 3 until this Extended Cut was released
because it’s exactly what should have been there in the first place. But regardless I give this DLC a 9/10 and I
highly recommend trying it out.
