Less then 66 days until Mass Effect 3 comes out, cant' wait.

[dsheinem]

the fact that none of the choices form previous games mattered, which is something they said would change the endings.

link?

[MrPopo]

So I just beat it.... wtf were they thinking? I HATE this game. it ruined my life.

I just beat it and shared my thoughts: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 95#p583695

The ending was fine, really. It would have been nice if there was a wider variety of final cutscenes, but the ones that are there are ok. The final hours leading up to the end felt like a fitting conclusion to the series.

Also,

taking a drive and shooting shit on top of the Citadel with Garrus

was a great scene.

besides the one loop hole that all the blanks are destroyed and in a previous mission from Mass Effect 2 it was shown that destroying said items took out the whole solar system they were in so, in that way you just destroyed all the major solar systems, and other plot holes, and the fact that none of the choices form previous games mattered, which is something they said would change the endings. I also thought that scene was great.

The method of destroying it in the ME2 DLC was quite different from the method at the end of ME3, and the actual graphic of the destruction is very different. So we haven't necessarily caused a galactic holocaust.

There are a couple things where your choices change the ending; if you don't have enough war assets you get a bad ending and you need a lot to get access to the third choice. Not to mention the bonus ending if you've done enough multiplayer to get your war asset effectiveness high enough.

I don't recall them saying your choices affect the ending, only that you could get all the endings without multiplayer. But if you can find some quotes I'd be happy to be proved wrong.

[ATARI800XLfan]

So I just beat it.... wtf were they thinking? I HATE this game. it ruined my life.

I just beat it and shared my thoughts: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 95#p583695

The ending was fine, really. It would have been nice if there was a wider variety of final cutscenes, but the ones that are there are ok. The final hours leading up to the end felt like a fitting conclusion to the series.

Also,

taking a drive and shooting shit on top of the Citadel with Garrus

was a great scene.

besides the one loop hole that all the blanks are destroyed and in a previous mission from Mass Effect 2 it was shown that destroying said items took out the whole solar system they were in so, in that way you just destroyed all the major solar systems, and other plot holes, and the fact that none of the choices form previous games mattered, which is something they said would change the endings. I also thought that scene was great.

The method of destroying it in the ME2 DLC was quite different from the method at the end of ME3, and the actual graphic of the destruction is very different. So we haven't necessarily caused a galactic holocaust.

There are a couple things where your choices change the ending; if you don't have enough war assets you get a bad ending and you need a lot to get access to the third choice. Not to mention the bonus ending if you've done enough multiplayer to get your war asset effectiveness high enough.

I don't recall them saying your choices affect the ending, only that you could get all the endings without multiplayer. But if you can find some quotes I'd be happy to be proved wrong.[/quote]

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http://www.vg247.com/2011/05/18/bioware ... -effect-3/

this lists 5 reason fans are made about the ending, writer is impartial and explains things well without going fanboy.

http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3- ... are-right/

and this article where Bioware says the ending will not be just choosing either A, B, or C option. Which is exactly what the ending is.

http://www.oxm.co.uk/37677/mass-effect- ... isticated/
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Even today, the official Mass Effect Site bears this message along the top of the page:

“EXPERIENCE THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END OF AN EMOTIONAL STORY UNLIKE ANY OTHER, WHERE THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE COMPLETELY SHAPE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND OUTCOME.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/ ... deo-games/


http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/bt/aj/ ... e3s-ending

[MrPopo]

I think what Bioware is arguing is that all of the major things you do in the game are part of the ending. It's not just the final 5 minutes of the game, which is the part everyone is complaining about. You make some very major decisions in the game and they aren't suddenly wiped out by the last 5 minutes.

[dsheinem]

http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3- ... are-right/

and this article where Bioware says the ending will not be just choosing either A, B, or C option. Which is exactly what the ending is.

That was well written and pointed to some loopholes I didn't know existed/didn't recognize. Now I feel sorta cheated, too

[ATARI800XLfan]

http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3- ... are-right/

and this article where Bioware says the ending will not be just choosing either A, B, or C option. Which is exactly what the ending is.

That was well written and pointed to some loopholes I didn't know existed/didn't recognize. Now I feel sorta cheated, too

I also thought that it was a good article. While some people like the ending(don't know why) I decided to tell my dad who does not play video games about it, but does like to watch and he even said the ending sounded horrible. Not worthy of the Mass Effect name. My work here is done, for now . Don't get my wrong though I absolutely loved the game. As I have the series, Mass Effect 1 was my first 360 game I ever owned. Which makes the loopholes and problems stick out even more, when Bioware has always delivered on there word. Making one of the Best RPG series this generation, always well written, griping and having good ending, even up till the end of Mass Effect 3 it still felt like your choices mattered and felt like good old Bioware, then the ending come along and it does not feel like them, if you know what I mean. Almost as if they went on launch break and some interns wrote the ending, just completely out of character for them. It was not the worst ending ever in a game just not anywhere near the standards set by the previous games, or even most of the 3rd.

[ATARI800XLfan]

I think what Bioware is arguing is that all of the major things you do in the game are part of the ending. It's not just the final 5 minutes of the game, which is the part everyone is complaining about. You make some very major decisions in the game and they aren't suddenly wiped out by the last 5 minutes.

while I could possible see it that way they should have explained it better.

[Gamerforlife]

I'm trying to avoid looking at posts here to avoid potential spoilers. I have two questions though before I jump in ME 3, as I'm getting close to finishing my Insanity run of ME 2, which is not nearly as hard as many players have said. I kind of feel like Insanity should have been normal difficulty. Aside from a few admittedly annoying choke points(cheap bosses and every single Collector encounter), it's pretty balanced. Anyway....

1)Is the game still heavily biased towards Renegade players? Mass Effect 2 constantly forces Renegade points onto you even if you try and play as a full Paragon, yet it doesn't seem to ever force paragon points onto you. Nice double standard there. Bioware seems to love "bad guy" Shepherd. It's even what the games default to if you don't import.

2)Are there any real consequences for going into ME 3 with more than one romance active? I never could decide between Jack and Liara and discovered that you can actually romance them both and your Mass Effect 2 import file will even reflect that. I know I'll probably have to pick one in ME 3, which is fine, but I'm curious as to whether it creates any major conflict. I love a good triangle, it's such an oft used writing trick in a lot of tv.

[Gamerforlife]

Also, is the alignment system still dumb? I mean really, you get Renegade points for things in Mass Effect 2 that don't even make sense and sometimes you do something nice or heroic and get zero paragon points. I don't know what they base these things on.

[MrPopo]

1)Is the game still heavily biased towards Renegade players? Mass Effect 2 constantly forces Renegade points onto you even if you try and play as a full Paragon, yet it doesn't seem to ever force paragon points onto you. Nice double standard there. Bioware seems to love "bad guy" Shepherd. It's even what the games default to if you don't import.

No, it seems more biased towards paragon, if anything. I mean, with the galaxy facing extinction some of the renegade choices require you to be a supreme asshole. That said, they've changed the reputation system slightly. Now there are three kinds of points you can get. Paragon, renegade, and neutral. Neutral points increase both sides but keep the ratio the same. So if you were at 10 renegade points and 5 paragon points and received 3 neutral points you would end up with 12 renegade and 6 paragon. They give neutral points for most mission completion and only give out renegade and paragon for when you go out of your way to be nice/mean.

2)Are there any real consequences for going into ME 3 with more than one romance active? I never could decide between Jack and Liara and discovered that you can actually romance them both and your Mass Effect 2 import file will even reflect that. I know I'll probably have to pick one in ME 3, which is fine, but I'm curious as to whether it creates any major conflict. I love a good triangle, it's such an oft used writing trick in a lot of tv.

There are consequences, but not major ones. You'll get called out fairly early on about your romancing someone else by your ME1 romance, and you have the option to go with ME1 or to just be friends. Then your ME2 romance will have some dialog about picking up the romance again (as you've been incommunicado for 6 months) if you turned down your ME1 romance. That gives you the chance to turn down your ME2 romance in favor of one of the new ME3 romances.