Saying goodbye to Mass Effect

[Logan Darklighter]

I've made what feels like a tough choice. But in the end, inevitable, I suppose, given all that's happened. 

I was sitting there looking at my gaming hotlinks and about to call up City of Heroes when my eyes flicked up and saw the Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 icons in my quicklaunch. 

It struck me that I hadn't played either of those games since the first week in March. Before I found out about the ME3 ending. And I realized with what hit me with an utterly surprising and painful sense of finality that I wasn't GOING to be playing them again. 

Ever. 

So I uninstalled both games. I need the hard drive space for other things. And that's about 30-45 gigs that can be better used by other things and not acting like a virtual paperweight. 

Thinking about it... just makes me feel...  empty. It's really weird. 

I guess I'm truly done with the series now. 

When stopping to think about it, I realized that I've even been turning away from artwork related to it and dropped reading any fanfic based it. There were two or three fanfic series I was really hooked on there for awhile. Now... meh.

Why the hell am I even posting this, anyway? I can't quite say. It's not to influence anyone's opinion of the game or the companies that made it. That's a moot point. I don't want to impress anyone with some high moral stance. That's just crap. 

I guess... I'm in mourning? But for what? What the fuck kind of strangeness is that I ask you??

-Logan
--------------------
(Wrote most of the above the other day. Wasn't sure I wanted to post it. Eh... fuck it. May as well get it off my chest. Part of the process I guess.)

[Thesilentjackofalltrade]

All good things come to pass.

This is just one more thing you out grown.
_____________
Veni, vidi, vici. [I came, I saw, I conquered
Quote from Julius Caesar

[Niteflier]

Logan,

I'm not sure if I can be an objective sounding board on this. I have spent the last few hours with your post percolating in the back of my mind though. This is not meant to be an attack on you, or how you feel, I'm just, well, wanting to ask a few questions about *why* you feel like you do.

One of the things that I wondered about ever since the ME3 'ending controversy' came about are the people like you, who have, basically, read the first two parts of a trilogy, deemed them to be *amazing*, even with the flaws they have, then picked up the third book, peeked at the ending, and thrown it away. I'm not saying the ending is good/bad/ugly/whatever. I'm just wondering how you can feel so- abandoned, I guess, by the way the final storyline was resolved. So abandoned, in fact, that you can't even read fanfic- other authors attempts to write a different-but-familiar universe. I know that a lot of fanfic (not just ME's) tend to be a 'start at the beginning, changing *thus*', but there are those who have gone and taken a snapshot of the ending and twisted it to their own preferences. Hell, I've done the same in my own thoughts, really. I just can't see how you can abandon the emotional investment into the series- however many Shepards you made, however they turned out- because of a peek at a badly written end sequence.

And I think that's why you are in 'mourning'. You're giving up the emotional attachment you've made to both the storyline that played out, and the characters that you grew so attached to. I can't understand *why* you're giving it up, but I can understand why you're feeling that way.

Anyway. My thoughts and $5 will get you a latte. As I said, I'm not saying your making a bad decision by abandoning this. I just don't understand why you are.

[Logan Darklighter]

It's ok, Nite. I'm not entirely sure of the reasons myself. 

And I went through several versions of this post trying to explain and give examples, but all it amounted to was me just giving examples and not getting any closer to the answer to the question of "Why?" that you asked. Bottom line: I just don't know. I wish I could explain it better. But it just is. 

Maybe someday I'll have that answer. But I don't have it yet.

[Sofaspud]

I will admit, my first impulse is to make a snide comment of some sort.  You and I have been at loggerheads on this forum fairly often; I suspect we have such differing worldviews that we will always be.  ("The day I agree with HIM..." and all that.)

But, trying to be objective here, the only thing I can think of is that your sense of abandonment, or of grief -- whichever fits better, neither is perfect -- is due to the "what if" factor.  What's running through my head is hard to explain, but I'll try:

You've purchased and thoroughly enjoyed both previous installments in the series.  You have an emotional investment in the characters -- your characters -- and the universe, to the extent of (your own words) avidly following and anticipating fanfiction in the setting.  It's akin to waiting eagerly in line for the next movie in a beloved series.  You're standing there, you haven't bought your ticket yet but you've been waiting for this for YEARS, you're almost at the head of the line...

"Man, the ending blows," says someone, passing by the line as they exit the theater.  "Utter crap.  Would not buy again."

You whip out your smartphone and check the reviews.  There's lots of shouting on the internet.  Consensus seems to be, even for those who liked the movie (like me!), that the ending -- the last ten minutes -- was crap.  Dejected, you shuffle out of line and go home, without watching it.  You won't watch it.  You can't.  Because you just know the ending is going to suck, and that destroys it for you.

But what if it didn't?  What if they're wrong?

You don't know.  You can't know.  You can read all the reviews you want, but until you go see for yourself... but you can't do that.  That would be supporting the idiots who did this.

* * *

I'm not trying to belittle you or your decision.  But throughout all our discussion on this -- I know you remember the thread too -- I've been trying to understand how someone could take the stance you do.  I could well be wrong... but this is the scenario that makes sense to me.  It's the only way I can say to myself, "Self, if I were Logan, why would I feel/do/say X?" about ME3 and come to any sort of conclusion that makes sense.

It's not just expectations unmet, it's hopes utterly sunk on hearsay and the fact that you haven't seen it with your own eyes.  You can be as certain as sunrise that it IS all that bad and a bag of chips, but until you've seen it for yourself, that niggling little doubt will remain -- that's just a human thing.

I think that's why you feel bad over this.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Ankhani]

I can't provide much more of an answer, but from what it sounds like to me, you over-invested Mass Effect as "the story Bioware was telling you", and then felt utterly betrayed when the ending didn't meet with your expectations. To avoid bringing up those memories again, you're avoiding the whole setting. I would think of it this way, as the only time I've known anyone to definitively state "I'm never going to do that again" is when they make a conscious choice to avoid all opportunities where they might have to face that situation again. Old Fads and forgotten interests don't hold such a pull. If it's something you've outgrown, it would have just faded away, not be buried.
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI

[Logan Darklighter]

Sofa: WIthout getting too overly detailed about it, let's just say I've thoroughly spoiled myself. It's not "hearsay" anymore. I've seen some pretty detailed play-throughs of various sections. I know what the game looks like and how it plays, what the dialogue is like. How good the rest of it is. Etc.
I decided some time back that I would likely never actually buy or play the game, so I may as well watch as much of it on youtube as I could. So for all practical intents and purposes at this point, I have seen the game for myself as much as it's possible to without playing it. (Or giving EA my money.)
(Just for an example: The part at Rannoch is particularly painful. Not because it's not good. But because it is. And moreso than any other part of the game, the ending makes everything you do there pointless. Because the ONLY ending of the three available that is anywhere near what I think either of my Shepards would do is the Red "Destroy" ending. And that's genocide of the Geth. And of EDI. So... what was the POINT of all that effort to reconcile the geth and the Quarians anyway? None at all, if you ask me.)
Anyway. It's not just the game itself that's made me decide to drop any emotional investment in the series. It's the way the fanbase has been treated by EA (and by many apologists and defenders of the endings). (And by the way - I don't mention Bioware for a reason. I don't think there really IS a Bioware company anymore. Not really. It's all EA now, just with the Bioware name tacked on. Like so many other game studios they've assimilated in the past and ruined.)
They're basically saying: "This is the ending as it was always meant to be, and if you're not happy with it, it's YOUR fault for being too stupid to get it. But - since you're SO upset about it, we're willing to meet you halfway and explain to you low-sloping foreheads what exactly happened."
It's that whole passive-agressive stance of theirs - the hiding behind the tattered "shield" of "artistic integrity" that really angers me. (And BTW, when you drop an already existing in-game reporter like Emily Wong just so you can insert Jessica Chobit into your game, you've already given up any "artistic integrity" you had. Granted, the twitter feed event was awesome in itself. But I'd much rather have had that in the game itself in some form.)
That's basically why I'm not even interested in the "Extended Cut" DLC. It doesn't change anything. It doesn't try to fix the ending. It's just the developers being forced to throw us the bare minimum bone to try desperately to stave off the loss of consumer loyalty and trust. It's not them acknowledging that they made a massive mistake and trying to fix it or even to apologize for it.
But to go back to the game itself. I have seen much of ME3 now  - and certainly every variation on the ending of ME3 that it's possible to see, which isn't much, really. Watching the exact same footage just with different colors 3 or 6 or 9 times, whatever the hell it is... it's not only painful, it's BORING and painful. I mean, that's an impressive accomplishment there. Never thought I'd experience that combination. (SARC) My life is complete, now. (/SARC)
Oh! Just thought of the perfect analogy.
It's as if EA comes into our house as we the players are having fun playing the game, making our choices. Crafting our own variations on the story, and slaps the controller out of our hands in the last ten minutes and takes over the game and says "Fuck off, you idiots. Here's an ending that'll blow your tiny mind! We're going avant garde on your ass!"
(flat) What.
Basically, on a personal level, based on all of the above, it boils down to a sense of utter futility. I mean - I tried playing a couple of times back in mid-April or so. But I booted up with Shepard on the Citadel. (Midway through ME 2 IIRC). And I'm just thinking... "There's not much point to any of this, is there? The whole place and everyone in it dies, for no really good, logical reason."
So I shut it down. And I haven't booted either game back up since.
(One caveat - I could MAYBE see, a year or two out, re-installing the first Mass Effect by itself and replaying as a completely different character. Maybe give a Male-Shep renegade sole survivor a go. Because if I can't get enjoyment out of saving the universe, maybe I could get some enjoyment/comedy value out of being as much of a dick to the universe as it's possible to be.
John Shepard IS Black Adder in SPACE!!!!)

[Dragonflight]

For the uninitiated, massive "should have been" spoilers ahead.
I said it best on my Facebook page last week, so I'm reposting it here.
===
I
prefer the "Drew Karpyshyn" ending. He was the original story writer
for the first Mass Effect, and left halfway through the second for
another project. Apparently his ending was supposedly leaked at some
point during development of ME3, and in
order not to simply produce what everyone was expecting, they changed
it. Don't know if that's true or not, but if so, then the Karpyshyn
ending is vastly superior story writing.

In Mass Effect 2, some
of the missions involving rescuing Tali center around the Haestrom star
aging faster than it should, which is leading it to aging into its Red
Giant phase literally millions of years before it should. It's hinted
that they think dark matter is responsible, but they're not certain how.
That was supposed to be part of the endgame component for ME3.


In the Karpyshyn ending, the Crucible is a master killswitch for the
Reapers. The Citadel has long been established as their trap for
sentient species, so the various previous civilizations came upon the
idea of using the Citadel as a massive signal booster to fire the
killswitch code. When you get to the endphase, Harbinger, or some other
Reaper, reveals why they're doing what they're doing.

According
to the Karpyshyn ending, Mass Relays produce dark matter as a side
effect of their operation. It's a waste product. Unfortunately, the
stuff is also age-accelerating stars. The Reaper-creators eventually
realized they needed a creature who could go into the center of the
galaxy and do... *something* (It's never explained in the article I read
what that something is,) which can only be accomplished by a race with a
certain extra genetic diversity. This is important because their Reaper
shells are partly organic, but the average Reaper donor species is too
genetically narrow, and is prone to easy influence by the radiations of
the location where the change needs to be made.

Introduce
Humanity. In Mass Effect 2, while on the Terminus station, it's revealed
that humans are immune to the virus sweeping the corridors because the
species is far more genetically diverse than most species, and thus, a
targeted virus is almost certainly not going to be effective against
them. It's a trait that only humanity has of all the races in the
galaxy.

The Human Reaper under construction at the Collector
base was therefore the Reapers' attempt to build a Reaper with an
organic core which would be immune to the effects none of the other
Reapers can deal with. Of course, this will, if not completely wipe out
the human race, then at least cost the species between 50 and 75% of the
entire racial population to empower and activate this Reaper, so it can
go fix the problem.

The Karpyshyn ending, therefore, was
supposed to require the player to make a horrible choice. One worthy of
the end of the entire trilogy. Do you A) Allow the Reapers to harvest
over two-thirds of your own species, in order to create a super-Reaper
which can fix a problem they can't, and in the process, end the culling
cycle because it's not necessary anymore? Or do you choose B) Kill the
Reapers, save Earth, and *hope* you and the council races can figure out
what the Reapers were talking about before Mass Relays destroy all life
in the galaxy.

In that ending, the reason for the 50,000 year
cullings was that the Citadel would assess all available sentient
species in a prearranged time frame. If none of the available races had
the necessary genetic diversity to create the Reaper hybrid they needed
to fix the problem, they'd cull the galaxy and let nature take another
stab at creating the adaptable race they needed. Still a horrific thing
to do, but it makes *sense* in context.

That would have been
the ideal ending, and one they should have gone with. To borrow a line
from the Krogan Warlord in Mass Effect 2, "It has *weight*."
===
By contrast, this is the ending of ME3 as it currently stands:


That pretty much sums it up, I think.
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.

[CattyNebulart]

Agreed the Karpyshyn ending sounds far better even if the pseudo science in it makes me cringe.

a) Humans have very low genetic diversity due to a population bottleneck when the humans where at the edge of extinction.

b) WTF can genetic diversity accomplish that matters to a ginormous starship? Can't whatever the problem is be overcome with a extra few tones of armour, or something?
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

[s3yang]

Okay, This is now the ending of my choice in my head. In this case, I'd definitely take the psuedo-science over Space magic.

[Logan Darklighter]

This popped up again? 
Interesting analysis. Well thought out. Yeah disappointing in some respects. Oh well.
Meh.
You know where I'm at on this? It's funny it took this long to percolate to the top of my consciousness, but -
Remember Alien? Aliens? Fantastic movies both of them. Replayed a lot on Sci-Fi (back when they played sci-fi - but that's a whole different rant)
Who remembers or even has seen Alien 3? Anyone? If you did see it, did you watch it more than once? Yeah - I thought so. Me neither. "What thrid movie?" is many fans response. Sure, there was Alien Resurrection and the Alien Vs Predator series, but it was never the same. Just the shambling corpse of a franchise that was still being milked for money. You might have some visceral fun with them. But they're trash.
Mass Effect might have more products and entries in the series. But it's about as trashed as the Alien franchise. It's done. And I'm done with it.
Edit: Okay. Fair enough. I just thought I was doing everyone else a favor by asking to lock just this one thread, since it was borderline necroed and to be honest the premise is starting to sound petty to me now as well. But hey, you guys still want to talk about it, that's cool. Knock yourselves out.
*Marty Feldman Voice* "Suit yerself! I'm easy!"

[Ankhani]

With all due respect, "The last game sucked and I hated it" is not a valid reason to institute a ban on the topic. If you don't want to see it again, don't look.
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI

[Matrix Dragon]

*Looks at Prometheus* Well, that's getting decent reviews, so maybe that franchise is finding its feet again.

[Sofaspud]

I'm with Ankh on this.  You don't want to see more?  Don't look.  Nobody's forcing you to.  But asking for a threadlock because you don't want to see it is childish at best.

On-topic:

I read some stuff online at the time that the ending was supposedly leaked, and... I dunno.  Certainly it feels more Mass Effect-y than what we actually got, but at the same time, I've /read/ Karpyshyn's Mass Effect books.

The man is a horrible writer.

It doesn't necessarily follow that he's a horrible storyteller or that his intended ending for the trilogy was in any way wrong or bad; it just means that I don't know if it would have survived the EA approval process, and I suspect the success of ME1's storyline was due to the editing process in-house at Bioware... back before they got eaten, heart and soul.  Mass Effect 2 was during the EA period, and already it had signs that things were Not Right at Bioware.  Truth be told I suspect that that is why Karpyshyn left.

This does not in my mind absolve Bioware of blame, and I've noted before that I don't like any of the endings that we did get.  But the ride up until that last 10 minutes was very sweet indeed.  I wonder how much of ME3 was set in stone before K. left, and how much was after?

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Black Aeronaut]

I read some stuff online at the time that the ending was supposedly leaked, and... I dunno.  Certainly it feels more Mass Effect-y than what we actually got, but at the same time, I've /read/ Karpyshyn's Mass Effect books.

The man is a horrible writer.

It doesn't necessarily follow that he's a horrible storyteller or that his intended ending for the trilogy was in any way wrong or bad; it just means that I don't know if it would have survived the EA approval process, and I suspect the success of ME1's storyline was due to the editing process in-house at Bioware... back before they got eaten, heart and soul.  Mass Effect 2 was during the EA period, and already it had signs that things were Not Right at Bioware.  Truth be told I suspect that that is why Karpyshyn left.

This does not in my mind absolve Bioware of blame, and I've noted before that I don't like any of the endings that we did get.  But the ride up until that last 10 minutes was very sweet indeed.  I wonder how much of ME3 was set in stone before K. left, and how much was after?

All that said, it sounds to me like they were going with Karpyshyn's general plan, then the ending got leaked, and they threw the last ten minutes away and maybe even got a new writing staff.  Did they use a new writing staff post-leak?

[OpMegs]

DRAG0NFLIGHT wrote:
That would have been
the ideal ending, and one they should have gone with. To borrow a line
from the Krogan Warlord in Mass Effect 2, "It has *weight*."

The trick to this is that the rumors about the leak, and the leak itself, are currently unsubstantiated as far as I know. DK's own blog has a post asking "what would you different in ME3's ending?" where he pretty much stated anything guessed about might-have-beens by "outsiders" was unsubstantiated speculation, citing Cerberus's ME1 characterization as a throwaway random enemy group as evidence of how the writing process changes as things move on in a collaborative project.

Overall, I'd be interested to see if someone with actual credentials has confirmed this, as it'd provide a very interesting look into the background processes of making ME3, but for the moment, to quote Wikipedia, "Citation Needed"
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

[Sofaspud]

Yeah, basically, what Ops said.

I'd like to believe DK, but, I also know what sort of penalties can be levied by The Software Giants if one so much as breathes in the wrong direction after signing a contract with them.  Drew's not going to confirm or deny anything until after EA gives the green light, so unless someone from the inside just doesn't Give A Shit anymore, we'll likely never know exactly what happened.

And as has been mentioned, these days it's more often than not that companies release info in the guise of an 'anonymous insider', but they never confirm it.  So again, the data is suspect at best.

It's pretty obvious *something* did happen, however; the change from 1 to 3 is just too stark, otherwise.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Sofaspud]

Minor threadnomancy here, but I think this is relevant: 
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/article ... 3-The-Wall

Having picked up and played the DLC myself, I can state that it's a *much* better ending than what we got originally.  I still have some problems with it.  They are admittedly somewhat petty.  I won't spoil the endings -- they're worth watching fresh -- but the gist of my complaint is that the polish is a bit lacking in places.  Not all, definitely not all, but in some there are cheap tricks that I'm disappointed Bioware resorted to.  They are not related to the plot at all; it's purely a presentation gripe.

All in all this reinforces my suspicion that Bioware let EA pressure them into several things, all of which were bad for the original-flavor release of ME3 (and arguably bad for ME2 as well).  I think they had a strong enough franchise they could have done it without EA, but they (Bioware) probably felt at the time that partnering with EA would give them the cash influx needed to continue right away instead of waiting.  This does not, in my mind, absolve them of the responsibility for some of the crap that has happened.  It's just an explanation.

I think EA pressured Bioware into including multiplayer.  And Bioware pulled a rabbit out of the hat there, no doubt -- the ME3 multiplayer, crippled as it is by the horrendous EA-designed networking/matchup system, is phenomenal.  There are things that could change, things that should change, but my god is it still a fun ride.  I still play it.  Not every day, but probably every other day or so.  But working on the multiplayer meant a lessening of quality elsewhere, and I think the ending is what got hit the hardest.  Because the DLC really seems like something that was cut, during storyboard phase, rather than something that was crafted out of whole cloth to 'fix' things.

I think EA pressured Bioware into an early release.  I can't point at evidence, but I suspect that the publisher basically said "ship or die" to the Mass Effect division, because TOR (also Bioware) was not getting the love they'd been counting on after pouring so much money into it.  I think EA demanded a justification for Bioware's continued existence, and since ME3 was cooking...

None of this in any way makes me think better of Bioware.  I used to love you guys.  I'd buy Bioware sight unseen, because, Bioware!  But you let yourself get pushed around by EA, and now I have to treat you like I do any other EA-owned studio.  Which makes me sad.

But the Extended Cut DLC?  You guys did that right.  It should have shipped with the game.  And while I'm not going to trust you sight-unseen again, this is a good apology and a good, and fitting, ending for Mass Effect.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Bluemage]

I will (politely, and hopefully rant-free) choose to disagree.  I think the Extended Cut didn't fix the two largest problems with the ending.
First, the issue of choice.  It's all still a choice at the end of the game- nothing else matters.  I realize that fixing that one is beyond the scope of a simple DLC, so I'll not blame Bioware/EA for that.
Second, the thematic issue.  Mass Effect has its roots in classic space opera- you can see it all over the first game.  So why isn't there a single truly perfect ending in the mix?  Why do all the endings have to use the Catalyst, or screw everybody?  THAT could've been changed, and I think should've been.

If I were doing ME3, I would've done two things differently.  First, what you do locks you into/out of specific sets of endings, over the course of the games.  Think of it like the War Assets score in ME3- anything that gets you allies helps with one score, understanding of the Reapers helps with another, and so on.  Each ending branch has its own score, and the events that benefit each one are slightly different.
Second, eight endings.  Four possible choices, like there are now- you can destroy the Reapers, control them, make everything a cyborg, or defy the Catalyst.  Thing is, how well each ending goes depends on those scores you've been building up, based on actions from save files.  Save the Reaper base?  That would really help you get the good Control ending.  Flip out and kill everything with an AI to it?  Picking Destroy might be a bit messy.  You get the idea.
Oh, and if you do everything right, build up basically every ally, and choose to defy the Catalyst?  The galaxy wins.  It would be a hard ending to get, but this is the climax of the trilogy.  Getting the golden ending shouldn't be easy.

---

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

[Ankhani]

I would like to point out that how well you do does effect the efficacy of the endings. If your Effective Military Strength is too low, for instance, choosing the Destroy Option may cause galactic annihilation of both Reapers and Everyone Else. If you want the full list go here. You get many more endings/possible outcomes than either ME 1 or 2, and you have quite an awesome time rallying the galaxy for the Final Showdown. I'd call that a success.
As far as the Catalyst goes, I see no problem with that plot-point. Humanity is a race that's had ME-tech for less a century and is going up against a race that has not only existed for at least several million years but individually lived for that long. I see no reason why they shouldn't be more than a smear on the Reaper's figurative windshields but for the grace of the author's whim. Throughout the entirety of Mass Effect 3, you are reminded with the painful subtly of a brick to the face that you can not do this alone. You need help. Accepting the help of the Catalyst isn't making a deal with the devil, it's just admitting you need a MacGuffin for the Final Fight. I don't think you can blame them for that. Having an option to say "Screw you, I can fight the Apocalypse myself!" is a good thing, but it isn't necessarily the right choice. Yes, it is the creator of the Reapers; but it isn't the Mad Scientist that would rater die before he harms his Frankenstein. It is just an AI attempting to follow vague and possibly contradictory instructions, and does not realize there is another way until it meets Shepard.
Overall, with the Extended Cut DLC, the game has an adequate ending. As far as
Bioware goes 'adequate' is far, far below expectations; but compared to
other games it's still really quite good.
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI

[dark seraph]

I sat down, watched all the new endings for ME3.

Then booted up my X-box, downloaded the DLC and started playing.

I didn't hate the original endings, I just found them a little bland, now they have flavour, lots of it.

So I'm probably going to do a third or 4th replay now instead of my original "finished the game, get new game."

[Logan Darklighter]

I missed the fact that the DLC had come out -completely- for a few days. I actually just found out yesterday. And that's only because of Sofa's post.
My reaction initially came down to - Oh. Okay. That's nice... I guess I should care more, right?
I haven't yet bothered to watch the footage on youtube. But... I was curious enough to read up on the changes briefly in various articles via googling. So I know the basics. Things are fleshed out and some of the worst things are pared back - like the relays -don't- explode in some versions (all?) -  So some of the worst galaxy destroying aspects are dropped and you get a little closure on the other characters. Good enough. Still doesn't solve the worst problems with the them losing the theme and the narrative. But it's kinda nice they tried, even if they were forced into it.
And then there's that 4th ending.
Wow. Talk about being passive/aggressive and just downright petty! When I found out what it was, I raged for about a half-second and then had a bitter laugh at hearing about the "FUCK YOU" that Bioware basically threw in our faces. That's about as close to a "well fine! I'll just take my toys and go home, then!" as I've ever seen a major game studio do! Wow... I just have to laugh a little at that.
Ah well. Just goes to show that -SOMEONE- got angry enough to be petty back in the main office. Good to know. At least we got under their skin just a little bit. At least it shows they're human.
Although...
Strangely, from what I hear, in some ways, even with it being a "fuck you" to the fans -- it's sounding ironically like Refusal, other than Destroy is the ending I'd most likely choose, regardless, when and if I ever pick up the game from the used bargain bin.
At the very least it sounds more like Shepard being Shepard to the end rather than accepting being a tool.
Okay, so we die. But we die ON OUR TERMS.
We die free.
And the implication is that in the -next- cycle the Reapers are finally taken down because of the people of this era and Liara's time capsule. It took  the Protheans sending a light into the future - the races of the Galaxy on the next cycle (us) to UNITE because of it and nearly win - and then send what both we and the Protheans learned into the future. But finally the races of the next cycle beat the Reapers.
I might actually be okay with that as an option.

[Sofaspud]

... wow.

I think you're projecting something, though damned if I know what, Logan.  Because, if you don't start with the assumption that you are godlike, if you pay attention to the *entire storyline* from ME1 onwards, you know that *you can't win this alone*.  Refusal isn't a fuck you, Refusal is *what would happen*.

Sometimes, humanity isn't the special snowflake, and can't be the one to save THE ENTIRE GALAXY.

That said, Refusal isn't even really the ending I prefer most, and we got a lot more than "a little closure".  But hey, you've made up your mind already, so, meh.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Matrix Dragon]

Yeah, I'm not getting it. Your Shepard would let everyone they've ever known die, rather then take the only chance to either kill the Reapers for good or try and take control of them? I mean, it's been clear since ME1 the Reapers weren't going down without sacrifices, and it's been clear since ME1 that all the firepower in the damn galaxy might not be enough. How much firepower did it take to kill Sovereign, for example?

That said, I do like the Refusal ending, if only because Spud accidentally caused galactic genocide by shooting the Catalyst the first time he tried it out :lol

[Sofaspud]

My finger slipped!  I didn't know the gun even *worked* in that scene!  *sob*

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs