Let me start off by saying that Mass Effect is my favorite modern-day series in any medium, including books, television, movies, and obviously video games. I fell in love with the Mass Effect universe after playing the first game in 2008 shortly after it was released. Bioware did a phenomenal job crafting an intricate story that allowed the player to make decisions that could change the outcome of situations throughout the game. The back story on the characters, alien species, human history, technology, etc. was done so well that it really creates a believable setting for the backdrop of the story. I enjoyed the first two games so much that I decided to read all three Mass Effect novels and two of the comic series. I intently awaited the release of Mass Effect 3 and was able to finish it this past week. Much has been made about the ending, so I figured I'd offer my thoughts since I am such a huge fan of the series.
If you don't want anything from the Mass Effect 3 story spoiled, then you should probably stop reading now.
Mass Effect 3, as a whole, was incredible. Huge story arcs that have been touched on through the first three games are able to come to a dramatic close in Mass Effect 3. The genophage is finally cured. The Quarians are able to retake their home world and make peace with the Geth after 300 years as nomads. Cerberus falls. These sequences all provided for some incredibly moving and powerful scenes because the impact of your actions have literally helped billions of people have better lives. You've given hope to entire species. And yet, in the end, it doesn't matter at all.
None of those actions matter because at the end of narrative, you're forced to undo all of that by destroying the Mass Relays. You may defeat the Reapers, but the Citadel is destroyed, and with no Mass Relays, none of those species that helped you in the fight to take Earth back will be able to return home. Nothing in the galaxy will ever be the same.
I could mention all of the incredibly glaring plot holes in the end as well, or bring up lore inconsistencies with the end, or mention how reverting to the Deus ex Machina is a horrible story-telling tactic, or talk about how Bioware promised really varied endings, but really I think my above point is all that's necessary to convey why there is such anger over the ending.
I was fully prepared for Shepard and his crew to die. They were on a mission to stop an unstoppable force that has been undefeated for millions of years. Sacrifices had to be made. But that doesn't mean that Bioware had to tear to shreds the first 100 hours of work in a matter of minutes. It is unsatisfying and leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth. I was really looking forward to starting the first Mass Effect shortly after concluding the series so that I could play through all of them consecutively. But after seeing how it ends, I don't really see what the point of putting in all that work knowing that in the end none of it will matter anyways.
Bioware has said that they will provide more closure and clarity as to what exactly happened after the story concluded. Despite what a lot of people think, this does not mean that they are rewriting the end, but instead are providing more content to expand on the conclusion. I honestly think this is the best course of action, as completely rewriting the ending would, no matter how much better the outcome may be, sour the experience even further by knowing they didn't get it right the first time.
There is one saving grace in all of this that, if Bioware confirms, will completely change the way I view the end. I've already tried to take this theory and use it to supplant my initial anger over the final minutes because it does in fact make a lot of sense. Some people are really behind the Indoctrination Theory that states that the last ten minutes of the game happened in Shepard's mind as he fought off indoctrination. There is a lengthy thread on Bioware's social network that goes into detail about the theory, but if you really want to take the time to see what it's all about then check out the following video. It may be lengthy but it's well worth watching for those intrigued by the ending or who find themselves unsatisfied.
If the Indoctrination Theory is correct and that is really what Bioware is going for at the end, then it is quite possibly one of the most brilliant things ever written. There is a lot of evidence to support it (enough to make a 20 minute video), but there also are some good reasons to show why this is probably not what was intended with the end, the biggest being that the Reapers would have not actually been defeated following Shepard's mental victory. But if it is true, then Bioware really dropped the ball by not making it more clear that it was a twist ending. So either way, Bioware is to blame for not properly executing the end of the final chapter.
I will conclude by saying that I'm really looking forward to seeing how Bioware handles the fallout from the controversy over the ending. I'm anticipating whatever content they're working on and will be faithful to support Mass Effect until they make the last bit of DLC for the series, and really hope that they do a good job of fixing the issues people have with the end since there certainly are more questions than answers.
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