Speaking of weakening arguements, the fact that the ending is somewhat lesser when compared to everything else isn’t completely unexpected. With any type of writing, especially essays and stories, you can start off really strong and continue fairly well, but then you start to lose much of your momentum at the end. ME3 is like Halo 3 in that respect. Some people also thought that Halo 3 lost a bunch of the momentum from 1 & 2 during the end. I’m sure some people say the same about Gears of War 3 as well. Though the drawn-out earth level in Mass Effect 3, along with choices not being completely reflected at the end, just makes people take it worse than in Halo and Gears, where there is no choice and more action.

Losing steam towards the end happens to the best of us, Bioware included. That’s why I started my brief, and now concluded, series of posts. Bioware didn’t do anything gravely wrong. I still had a good time through the Mass Effect trilogy and I think every other player did, too. We’re just a bit too wrapped up in the ending to notice that.

If the extended cut does acknowledge player choices and provide some level of answers, then hopefully that helps. If that or my posts don’t really help, well, at least Bioware and I tried.

For me, it felt like it was worth it. I don’t normally post comments anywhere…BUT WHEN I DO

Since everything about the trilogy was so awesome, I don’t care that much that the finale was somewhat under par. As you saw already, I managed to rationalize everything in a way that works for me, even if it doesn’t completely work for you or anyone else who reads it.

The ending is a three-way choice between three concepts that have been motifs since Mass Effect 1. I warn you now, this will get wordy.

Western Metaphysics (AKA Binary Opposition) is the idea that there must always be a conflict between two forces: you and the other (whatever isn’t you). This conflict is what defines you as a culture. This is displayed by many of the races and people in the galaxy, such as the Quarians against the Geth, the more aggressive krogan clans against the galaxy and each other, the batarian terrorists in Bring Down the Sky, and the reapers themselves (with their whole “synthetics always fight organics”) mantra.

Eastern Metaphysics (AKA Yin-Yang) is belief that the two opposing forces must exist together in harmony. This is displayed by the Geth, with a unified intelligence that shares consensus, by the Council, who try to maintain peace and harmony and subsequently ignore the reaper warnings to avoid disrupting the harmony, and Wrex, who wants krogan to stop butting heads and work together.

There is also the concept of progress as explained by Friedrich Engels. He states that progress is a combination of the two Metaphysics I previously mentioned. Two groups in opposition come together in harmony and cause progress by moving along and eventually interacting in opposition with a third group, uniting again and continuing to cause progress by repeating this same process of interaction with an infinite number of groups. Many of Shepard’s possible actions, particularly in ME3, represent this by creating some agreement between people, such as Miranda and Jack, and races, such as the Quarians and Geth, which cause progress for these people and races and causes progress against the reapers.

The destroy ending is Western Metaphysics. The player decides that sythetics and organics must always remain in conflict and destroys the reapers, geth and EDI, continuing the conflict, as it is said that eventually, new synthetics will be made. However, progress can not occur in a constant state of conflict, because constant conflict between two parties (especially political parties) causes bureaucracy, where nothing gets done; hence, the relays shatter into pieces.

The synthesis ending is Eastern Metaphysics. The player decides that synthetics and organics should remain in perfect harmony and creates the wierd hybrid people. However, progress can not occur in constant harmony, because, like the Council, everyone doesn’t want to change; hence, the relays also shatter.

The Control ending is progress (as the Illusive Man suggested, which is ironic). Having the galaxy and the reapers in conflict, you combine the two forces, allowing progress to occur. Hence, the relays take structural damage but do not shatter into pieces, implying that Shepard could theorhetically repair them afterward.

To answer some questions that you may follow this with:

Yes, the free will idea is contradicted by the control ending (which I believe is the best ending), but since the catalyst was commanding the reapers all along, the reapers didn’t really have free will in the first place.

No, I did not read the books, or many of the codex entries, but the trilogy should be analyzed alone, with the books and codex being accessories to provide background info for those interested.

As for the final scene, the Mass Effect story began with Shepard aboard the Normandy, so when the Normandy is lost, the story ends (as far as the Normandy crew goes).

There are likely errors here somewhere, but at this point, I don’t care and I still love the series. Hating the game just for the end when everything else is good is a waste of hate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT_x64921ls&context=C4665167ADvjVQa1PpcFOAotan6Dc9_v3yDpPSE3Lbpq8-uA1EJdY=

My biggest issue with the ending is that it leaves way to much to speculation and out right goes against the theme of the entire series, it basically says that you have a choice between three evils, Commit genocide, force your own ideologyon others against their will or take free will away from sentient life. The are colored red green and blue and then worst of all it cuts to black effectively pulling a sapranos without the mid sentence.Worst of all it takes the fight out of the players hands in two ways, One you cannot even argue with the god child and two at the very end its revealed that its all been part of story a grand fathers been telling his grand child effectivley telling the players that no matter what their choices really didn’t mean anything at all and were just the ramblings of an old man.

My biggest issue with bioware is simple, rather than actually talk with the fans they pretty much decided to announce the DLC so they didn’t have to talk about the ending with their fans so they didn’t have to explain their artistic vision, how can you scream artistic integrity when your not willing to talk the very people who are paying to support it. thats why I grew angry at the whole thing and thats why many fans grew angry, Because bioware refused to acknowledge that we exist When they finally did it was to slap us in the face.

However, being who you are, you seek instant and literal gratification, rather than some abstract theme that you have to take your time to absorb, analyze, and understand.

Bioware had hoped that we, the fans, were good enough people to truly see the meaning behind their art. For you, and for the majority of fans, their hope was false.

I’d love to tell you that the ending is flawed, but it is what it is. They created the ending that the series (which is theirs as much as it is ours) needed, even if it wasn’t what we deserved.

Just because we don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s flawed. It just means the two groups who care about the series have a conflict of interest.

The least Bioware deserves is to keep some of the ending structure intact. Let them have their compromise.

Everyone does not win the ending was fundamentally flawed and even BBB has opened talked that it is possible false advertisment, bioware screwed up but instead of talking to their fans they decided that they knew what the fans wanted, I’m done with them if they cannot see how flawed their ending to mass effect 3 is then i’m not buying anymore of their games.