Youngblood
Rear Admiral
there is some option in the menu to stop that
Mass Effect 3
- Thread starter Youngblood
- Start date
Sylvester
Vice Admiral
Youngblood
Rear Admiral
HAHA! I love it!
LeHah
212 Squadron - "The Old Man's Eyes And Ears"
I'm having a protracted discussion about the end of ME3 (and basically how the internet is being incredibly stupid over the whole thing) and my friend Dave responded with this, which I'll just leave here. Its full of spoilers, so if you haven't finished it, don't read it.
EDIT: removed because this board doesn't have a spoiler tag code?
EDIT: removed because this board doesn't have a spoiler tag code?
AD
Finder of things, Doer of stuff
As an alternative you could choose the grey at the far right of the first row of color choices... it will be less visible until it's highlighted. I find the fourth one in pretty hard to read though which is actually a green which I've put below.
See! See! See!
There... did you see it?
LeHah
212 Squadron - "The Old Man's Eyes And Ears"
Thanks for that, AD. Heres the post I was talking about from my friend Dave...
Personally, I enjoyed most of the story events, and in particular the ending. I thought it took courage to present. Despite significant flaws (plot holes, insufficient explanation of one choice, and other problems), I really thought it was an ascension beyond organic time and values the ending needed.
FIRST
The ending is not a deus ex machina. This has been said by many, but it is inaccurate. Here's the Merriam Webster definition
1 :a god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome
Both definitions have two parts, and both are necessary: a higher force/power suddenly appears, AND it provides final resolution. The Catalyst appearing as an intelligence is a sudden appearance of a higher power, but it does not resolve the story - it gives Shepard the means to resolve the story.
In old Greek/Roman dramas, the deity appearing by crane (ex machina) brought the solution to a plot without resolution. They were effectively THE CLIMAX, their influence ending the conflict of the story.
Robert McKee and his appearance in the movie Adaptation made famous the critique of the deus ex machina: it takes choice away from the characters and gives it to divine, non-empathetic characters. Thus the characters, the center of the audience's attention span and emotional investment, don't earn/face the conflict and bring about resolution. It is the height of contrivance.
While the Catalyst suddenly changes everything, things suddenly changing are the hallmark of drama (how is the catalyst speaking to Shepard more of a contrivance than a Reaper being in front of the genophage tower just as the cure is about to be released?). And after this turn of events, the catalyst gives shepard 2 to 3 choices, the 'Crisis" of the Mass Effect Trilogy. The ending (resolution of the central conflict) isn't divine will - it's the will of the protagonist, as the result of a difficult dilemma. And without all that happened before as the result of characters striving, Shepard couldn't have gotten to the Citadel/Catalyst, and the Reapers would win.
While the three choices seem to be only differentiated by the color of an explosion, aren't the consequences potentially vastly different from each? And aren't the themes of organic life vs synthetic life (ME2), control versus freedom (all of ME1), and co-existance (ME3) very well set up to this point? Don't all the choices you've made so far thematically relate to this big choice, even if your save file isn't explicitly validated by them?
Sure, the ending could have held our hands a lot more, and made the consequences more clear. But to the game's credit, these choices are made by Shepard temporary ascent to godhood. He will affect everything, but personally not be affected, because he will be dead. None of the choices of the trilogy are specifically cited, but all were necessary to get to this point, plot-wise, and thematically
The ending was the ascension of Shepard's will and agency beyond mortality before he died, and the ascension of the player's choices beyond save file variables and into the realm of imagination and the subconscious, before the trilogy ended. I find that beautiful, sad, and real.
The choices could have been better validated by clearer and more distinct consequences - but even without that, there is a mysticism to the ending I find very satisfying.
SECOND
The Normandy flying away isn't entirely nonsensical. Garrus and Liara being aboard is pushing the envelope, but consider that the Normandy is in FTL space. it hasn't gone through a relay to escape the blast, because Relay travel is nearly instantaneous. More likely, the Normady is flying as fast as possible away from the Sol system, and has crash landed on a garden world in some system near the Sol system. Probably known by humanity, but not accessible by relay so it has gone uncolonized.
Personally, I enjoyed most of the story events, and in particular the ending. I thought it took courage to present. Despite significant flaws (plot holes, insufficient explanation of one choice, and other problems), I really thought it was an ascension beyond organic time and values the ending needed.
FIRST
The ending is not a deus ex machina. This has been said by many, but it is inaccurate. Here's the Merriam Webster definition
1 :a god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome
2
:a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty Both definitions have two parts, and both are necessary: a higher force/power suddenly appears, AND it provides final resolution. The Catalyst appearing as an intelligence is a sudden appearance of a higher power, but it does not resolve the story - it gives Shepard the means to resolve the story.
In old Greek/Roman dramas, the deity appearing by crane (ex machina) brought the solution to a plot without resolution. They were effectively THE CLIMAX, their influence ending the conflict of the story.
Robert McKee and his appearance in the movie Adaptation made famous the critique of the deus ex machina: it takes choice away from the characters and gives it to divine, non-empathetic characters. Thus the characters, the center of the audience's attention span and emotional investment, don't earn/face the conflict and bring about resolution. It is the height of contrivance.
While the Catalyst suddenly changes everything, things suddenly changing are the hallmark of drama (how is the catalyst speaking to Shepard more of a contrivance than a Reaper being in front of the genophage tower just as the cure is about to be released?). And after this turn of events, the catalyst gives shepard 2 to 3 choices, the 'Crisis" of the Mass Effect Trilogy. The ending (resolution of the central conflict) isn't divine will - it's the will of the protagonist, as the result of a difficult dilemma. And without all that happened before as the result of characters striving, Shepard couldn't have gotten to the Citadel/Catalyst, and the Reapers would win.
While the three choices seem to be only differentiated by the color of an explosion, aren't the consequences potentially vastly different from each? And aren't the themes of organic life vs synthetic life (ME2), control versus freedom (all of ME1), and co-existance (ME3) very well set up to this point? Don't all the choices you've made so far thematically relate to this big choice, even if your save file isn't explicitly validated by them?
Sure, the ending could have held our hands a lot more, and made the consequences more clear. But to the game's credit, these choices are made by Shepard temporary ascent to godhood. He will affect everything, but personally not be affected, because he will be dead. None of the choices of the trilogy are specifically cited, but all were necessary to get to this point, plot-wise, and thematically
The ending was the ascension of Shepard's will and agency beyond mortality before he died, and the ascension of the player's choices beyond save file variables and into the realm of imagination and the subconscious, before the trilogy ended. I find that beautiful, sad, and real.
The choices could have been better validated by clearer and more distinct consequences - but even without that, there is a mysticism to the ending I find very satisfying.
SECOND
The Normandy flying away isn't entirely nonsensical. Garrus and Liara being aboard is pushing the envelope, but consider that the Normandy is in FTL space. it hasn't gone through a relay to escape the blast, because Relay travel is nearly instantaneous. More likely, the Normady is flying as fast as possible away from the Sol system, and has crash landed on a garden world in some system near the Sol system. Probably known by humanity, but not accessible by relay so it has gone uncolonized.
Oceankhayne
Rear Admiral
Could they have made a better ending? yes, anything can be improved upon
Does the game explain the consequences of your decision? somewhat but not really (ie. did the systems the relays were in really do an arrival? remember the only planet you see affected is earth an it is affected by the crucible and not a system where a relay "blew")
No matter which path you take throughout the story you're given the same three choices at the end.
I think they knew what they were doing when they placed this ending in. They wanted to sell dlc to explain the consequences of your decision later. I don't think they were expecting quite as negative of a reaction from the community as a whole. I personally didn't like it. Not to say I'm petitioning for a new ending because come on, it's a videogame. It's fiction, I can make up any ending I want and believe it to be true. Too many people do this with life as it is anyway, how many recognized religions are there in the US alone? (And Deus Ex Machina does partially fit in this situation. An entity you've not spoken to before appears before you at the end and imposes upon you, at your weakest, one of three decisions. My decision, blow up the citidel and free the reapers from it's control. Since the reapers are an amalgamation of the previous organics that were harvested in other cycles there should be no love lost there. That is if they remember.) The endings themselves were ripped straight from Deus Ex and recolored. I expected better. If you liked the ending, good on you. You've probably never played Deus Ex. The person who wrote 1, 2, and the first three books, Drew Karpyshyn, isn't listed as having anything to do with 3. That, I feel, is the reason for a lot of the changes with 3. What happened to the dark energy insinuations from Mass Effect 2? There are so many questions that just weren't addressed to my satisfaction.
Does the game explain the consequences of your decision? somewhat but not really (ie. did the systems the relays were in really do an arrival? remember the only planet you see affected is earth an it is affected by the crucible and not a system where a relay "blew")
No matter which path you take throughout the story you're given the same three choices at the end.
I think they knew what they were doing when they placed this ending in. They wanted to sell dlc to explain the consequences of your decision later. I don't think they were expecting quite as negative of a reaction from the community as a whole. I personally didn't like it. Not to say I'm petitioning for a new ending because come on, it's a videogame. It's fiction, I can make up any ending I want and believe it to be true. Too many people do this with life as it is anyway, how many recognized religions are there in the US alone? (And Deus Ex Machina does partially fit in this situation. An entity you've not spoken to before appears before you at the end and imposes upon you, at your weakest, one of three decisions. My decision, blow up the citidel and free the reapers from it's control. Since the reapers are an amalgamation of the previous organics that were harvested in other cycles there should be no love lost there. That is if they remember.) The endings themselves were ripped straight from Deus Ex and recolored. I expected better. If you liked the ending, good on you. You've probably never played Deus Ex. The person who wrote 1, 2, and the first three books, Drew Karpyshyn, isn't listed as having anything to do with 3. That, I feel, is the reason for a lot of the changes with 3. What happened to the dark energy insinuations from Mass Effect 2? There are so many questions that just weren't addressed to my satisfaction.
LeHah
212 Squadron - "The Old Man's Eyes And Ears"
I find this complaint hilarious on a Wing Commander board. It was obvious in WC4 which ending was the "right one" - you went back to the Academy and flew off into the sunset... and avoided becoming the head of Space Nazis, Inc.
Because, you know, Nazis are bad. (Even the ones in space)
The same is whats going on at the end of ME3: there is an obvious choice that is correct, the other two exist as a result of who you are as a player. The idea that the game should have a major shift in narrative tone in the last couple of minutes because the player wants to be a Nazi or an asshole or whatever is a bad idea because, well, you shouldn't be rewarded for being a jerk. Yes, I like alternate endings as well, and its fun to go back and poke around to see your options and the Kilrathi take over Earth or (name your choices here), but the anger from ME fans is based on a desire to be narcissistic jerks, not because they have some great and good reasoning behind it.
And the fact that you're complaining that the ending was ripped off from Deus Ex obviously shows how short your attention span is. "Oh this game is like this game! I've solved the questions of the universe" cried out absolutely no one, ever. Good, so you've decided that something you hate is a lot like... something you love? Pat yourself on the back and bother someone else.
And I agree that there was some things that needed to be addressed better - however, given the current market for how these things work, I'd put money down right now that there will be a Epilouge DLC that cleans up everything, much like what they did with Fallout 3. (Remember when people complained about that ending too? And that add-on to make them happy was horrible. So thank you Internet for repeating the same mistake again.)
Yeah, thats not how it works at all. Ever.
Oceankhayne
Rear Admiral
Fanfiction anyone?
My point was that the ending was a letdown, that's my "opinion", and it won't change. My point about the ending being a blatant rip is that I had come to expect better. Your choices in ME1 are limited, you either save or ignore the destiny ascension. That and the amount of paragon/renegade points you have affect the ending. That and you jump across the galaxy in a Mako! In ME2 your decision can lead to the survival or deaths of several in the suicide mission. Whether you do the loyalty missions or not and get the upgrades for the ship. You even get to choose what to do with the collector base. This is seen in ME3 as well. But it's more easily seen in your choices in the previous games that set up the plot for ME3. Whether Wrex is killed in ME1 and so on. My major point is that you get the same three endings no matter how you play the game. Trying to compare Deus Ex and Mass Effect won't get you anywhere. They're two different games made upon two different premises. My point is I came to expect better from bioware. Mass Effect was a game built around choices, and how those choices affected the world around you. That's been one of it's selling points since ME2. A renegade player could choose the control option and a paragon player could choose the destruction option. The synthesis option is wrong on so many levels. You're changing the makeup of every being in the galaxy without their consent. If I released a retrovirus that rewrote the DNA of every Eukaryote that allowed them control of their own bioelectricity would that be the "right decision". Better yet what if that retrovirus changed the RACE of all humans? I make everyone Middle Eastern? Asian? European? African? How about Space Nazis with blonde hair and blue eyes? How is that the right thing to do. So no It isn't so clear cut to which is the "right" choice and which is not since the majority of the people I've talked to think the synthesis outcome is the "good" ending. In WC4 your choices throughout the game affect the ending. They do not in ME3. There are no new outcomes for playing a different way. The same cinematic for the ending sequence is used for each of your three choices. Yes there may be different characters used and an extra texture involved but the ending cutscene is basically the same. Now don't get me wrong, the game was great. The ending was ok for any other game but it wasn't up to what I've come to expect from a Mass Effect game. Not even a final boss like Saren or the humanform reaper. What I'd hoped for was a fight with Harbinger (Yes I know Shepard killed him like fifty times in ME2 but that was indirect.) Shepard can stay dead for all I care but have his/her choices matter more to the ending of the game.
Edit: I liked the original Fallout 3 ending. Although the changes made it easier for them to continue the story from what I hear. I haven't played any of the dlc to Fallout 3 or New Vegas yet. That's something I should look into. Thanks for the reminder
GreyViper
Rear Admiral
Overall liked the game. Combat is fast paced then it was ME2, the upgrade system was nice to have. Also in a nice touch most of ME2 armor/weapon DLCs were included in main game without having to buy them with real money. As to ending, well for a "last game" it didn't do a good job. Imagen if something like this happened with Metal Gear 4, what reaction that would have caused. But the are speculations that the "real" ending is still up in the air and others were just happening in Shepards head and hes still on Earth. Mind you it wouldn't be first time we would get ending as DLC, Arival did just that for ME2.
Anyway Im glad core game turned out better then DA2 and now we have Baldurs Gate EE to look forward to, good times.
Anyway Im glad core game turned out better then DA2 and now we have Baldurs Gate EE to look forward to, good times.
Oceankhayne
Rear Admiral
Sweet both BG EE and BG2 EE are in the mix. Thanks for the heads up.
centaurianmudpig
Rear Admiral
I did the calibration when I plugged it in. I noticed the options in the game, but looked like its the same process. I don't think they understand that having a microphone in front of the TV, where the sound source is coming from, is a good idea.
That's why there's the calibration.
The wonderful thing about Kinect is it knows what audio the Xbox is playing. All it needs to do is figure out what the game audio sounds like (delay, echo, transformation) from each speaker. So when the Xbox plays a sound, it knows how to cancel it out by applying the transformation. It's why you're requested to keep quiet so it can do a noise sample, play the test tone, then figure out how the test tone sounds so it can be cancelled out.
Of course, if you've moved the sensor, changed between TV speakers and A/V speakers, etc. it has to be recalibrated as the transformation model is invalidated.
Standard digital signal processing. Otherwise things like WiFi and cellphones won't work very well at all.
Deathsnake
Rear Admiral
The Last Singleplayer DLC for ME3 tomorrow. The last Scene...100 hours playtime for this Crew... every time again! Hope we don't wait to long for the next Mass Effect...
AD
Finder of things, Doer of stuff
Yeah, the leviathan DLC clears stuff up a bunch too. Would have been nice to have that in the initial release. I finally started playing the Omega DLC... That was probably one of the biggest glarring omissions that bugged me at launch, since the game teased at a big fight to take back Omega but just avoided the issue.