Mass Effect **includes spoilers**
***WARNING! MASS EFFECT 3 SPOILERS BEHIND THE CUT***
I felt the need to write this. This entry is not really about the spoilers, per se, but they are definitely part of the story I'm trying to tell.
***WARNING! MASS EFFECT 3 SPOILERS STARTING NOW***
I actually finished ME3 a couple weeks ago. I've waffled on writing this for various reasons, but ultimately decided it was somehow necessary to say.
There has been a lot of controversy about various aspects of ME3. Most of the angry mob has been going on about the game's ending, which I will get to momentarily. I have two points that I want to get out of the way first.
1) If there is anything to complain about it, it should be the Day One DLC. I will be upfront and honest; I did not originally have strong opinions about the Day One DLC. I thought it was a little shady, but I'm not the type that carries a pitchfork. Upon completion of the game, however, I am annoyed by it. The DLC included a vital character that is available as a squad member. Not like Zaeed or Kasumi in ME2, either. Javik in ME3 has a crucial role in the overall gameplay. I can see how ME2 could have worked without Zaeed and/or Kasumi, but I cannot wrap my head around how anybody could have had the full experience without Javik in ME3. In fact, I hadn't downloaded Kasumi when I did my play-through of ME2. So I know for a fact she wasn't necessary. There was so much content throughout the entire game built for Javik… how could he not have been included in the box release??? Seriously, Diana Allers should have been a DLC character instead of Javik. Let me have the option whether or not I wanted to pay extra to add her to the game experience. (Spoiler: I WOULDN'T.) Javik clearly was supposed to be there. And don't give me the excuse of how complex game development and meeting release dates can be. If it really came down to an issue with timing, why not make Javik a free download to those who pre-ordered the game or SOMETHING other than being sneaky and turning a $60 game into a $70 game. That said, I'm still not picking up the pitchfork about it… just annoyed, because it's shady. LOL
2) The ME3 face import from ME2 was broken. Seriously and painfully broken. I will pick up my pitchfork over that one. WHAT THE HECK, BIOWARE? HOW DO YOU SCREW UP SOMETHING THAT IMPORTANT???
Moving on.
In regards to all the complaints against BioWare for the ending of the game... I disagree with the grand majority of them. I actually applaud what they did, and that is pretty big coming from me, as you will soon see as you continue to read.
The "reused" cinematic scenes don't particularly bother me. I can kind of see that argument, but it's not something that really rubs me the wrong way at all. It is what it is. I'm okay with that.
That said, I did struggle with the content of the ending(s). It was so final, yet so ambiguous. There is so much left up to the imagination in terms of what happens next. Nothing is cut and dry. The ending was designed to be somewhat "up in the air" and open to interpretation. I really did find that hard to swallow.
However, my struggle is due to my own personal flaws, NOT a failing of BioWare. I don't deal well with ambiguity like that. Not. At. All.
For example, I did not much care for the movie "Inception". I recognized it's brilliance, the effects were extremely impressive, the acting was inspirational, and I was genuinely intrigued by the story. But when I was left to decide for myself whether or not that top falls after they cut to black… it really upset me. All of a sudden I didn't know whether or not everything was okay, and it caused me to come unglued at the seams. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, because it's not. It's an amazing movie. There is just that one detail that I couldn't handle, because I will never know for sure which ending really happened.
So when I reached that final decision in ME3, I agonized. First, over the decision itself, and then with the consequences of my choice. It wasn't easy. It was far from easy. Then, even when that difficult choice was finally made, the ending left me in a daze. Literally, the next three days after completing the game, I was gutted. I couldn't get the experience out of my head. I didn't sleep well. I felt drained and empty. I hadn't felt this way since… since…
… and that is when it hit me.
I was grieving. I was seriously suffering through the stages of grief.
Some of it was because it was the end of the game. The story I had been so fully immersed in was over, with nothing more to tell. That was plenty difficult on it's own. Yet, that only scratched the surface of my grieving haze.
I was mourning the death of EJ Shepard.
Yes, his name was EJ. That is how I knew him. Even though technically I was playing the game through his eyes, EJ developed into his own independent entity. While I was the one making the choices, every decision was based on the question, "What would EJ do in this situation?". It wasn't about me or what I would do. As the story unfolded, I was basically just participating as a support role. I was rooting for EJ the entire way. I wanted him to succeed.
And EJ was successful. When it came to the final decision, all three options were available. EJ took the path which joined organics and synthetics together to create a new form of life. That was the sort of thing EJ believed in. It was something he was willing to die for, and did without regret.
When all was said and done, though, I hadn't won. EJ was the victor, but I was not. He was gone. I had lost someone that I really cared about.
This is the point where I started to think maybe I was crazy. Like, seriously crazy. This wasn't even a real person! Even more so, this was a non-real person that I had essentially made up! A video game character that I had a hand in designing. WHY AM I STILL CRYING MYSELF TO SLEEP OVER SOMEONE THAT ISN'T REAL???
Good work, BioWare. Good work. That is how you create a story.
I am seriously impressed. It took me several days/weeks to truly appreciate it. I certainly enjoyed the whole Mass Effect experience from start to finish as I was playing, but now it's a whole new level of appreciation. It wasn't just a game experience. It was a complete immersion experience. I was 100% emotionally invested. It didn't matter that none of it was real, because in the end, my gut reaction to it all was very, very real. Mass Effect got in my head. EJ got in my head. Once it was over, I simply couldn't let go. Wow.
Long story short, there was nothing wrong with the Mass Effect 3 ending. I don't even like that style of story ending, and I still say that it was perfect. Well done. I have no complaints on the matter of the ME3 ending. Would I like more specifics? Well, yeah, but that is not because they are necessary. It's because I want them. Need and want are very different things.
One more thing, the whole Mass Effect universe is set up in such a way that no two players will have the same Shepard. Even if you make all the same decisions, the motive is all open to personal interpretation. For those that wanted more a more tailored ending to the game… How?
In summary, BioWare made an amazing game, whether or not I agree with all their methods. Mass Effect became an ingrained part of my life. I miss EJ and all his friends, even though they never really existed. The sad fact that his story is over is something that still lingers in the back of my mind. It is simply incredible to me that a video game can have that much of a hold.
Here's to EJ Shepard. Military hero, son, and friend. First human Spectre. Brilliant engineer. Respected leader. Not the greatest with a gun. Supporter of the Krogan, EDI, and Legion's geth. Uncomfortable around the Hanar. Never trusted Cerberus. Best friends with Garrus Valkarian and Urdnot Wrex. Romantically committed to Liara T'Soni. Saved the Council. Survived the Omega 4 suicide mission with his entire crew intact. United the Quarians and the Geth. Made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve and push forward life in the galaxy, both organic and synthetic.
EJ was still somewhat naive at the start of his adventure. A "boy scout" of the Alliance, he played by the rules and looked for the best of everybody. Despite his strong values, he was forced to recognize that rules were not always present, requiring necessary… adjustments in his policy. Some things, however, were not up for debate. EJ made friends for keeps. Above all else, he valued his friends. Without them, he would not have been able to save the galaxy. That was EJ Shepard.
I felt the need to write this. This entry is not really about the spoilers, per se, but they are definitely part of the story I'm trying to tell.
***WARNING! MASS EFFECT 3 SPOILERS STARTING NOW***
I actually finished ME3 a couple weeks ago. I've waffled on writing this for various reasons, but ultimately decided it was somehow necessary to say.
There has been a lot of controversy about various aspects of ME3. Most of the angry mob has been going on about the game's ending, which I will get to momentarily. I have two points that I want to get out of the way first.
1) If there is anything to complain about it, it should be the Day One DLC. I will be upfront and honest; I did not originally have strong opinions about the Day One DLC. I thought it was a little shady, but I'm not the type that carries a pitchfork. Upon completion of the game, however, I am annoyed by it. The DLC included a vital character that is available as a squad member. Not like Zaeed or Kasumi in ME2, either. Javik in ME3 has a crucial role in the overall gameplay. I can see how ME2 could have worked without Zaeed and/or Kasumi, but I cannot wrap my head around how anybody could have had the full experience without Javik in ME3. In fact, I hadn't downloaded Kasumi when I did my play-through of ME2. So I know for a fact she wasn't necessary. There was so much content throughout the entire game built for Javik… how could he not have been included in the box release??? Seriously, Diana Allers should have been a DLC character instead of Javik. Let me have the option whether or not I wanted to pay extra to add her to the game experience. (Spoiler: I WOULDN'T.) Javik clearly was supposed to be there. And don't give me the excuse of how complex game development and meeting release dates can be. If it really came down to an issue with timing, why not make Javik a free download to those who pre-ordered the game or SOMETHING other than being sneaky and turning a $60 game into a $70 game. That said, I'm still not picking up the pitchfork about it… just annoyed, because it's shady. LOL
2) The ME3 face import from ME2 was broken. Seriously and painfully broken. I will pick up my pitchfork over that one. WHAT THE HECK, BIOWARE? HOW DO YOU SCREW UP SOMETHING THAT IMPORTANT???
Moving on.
In regards to all the complaints against BioWare for the ending of the game... I disagree with the grand majority of them. I actually applaud what they did, and that is pretty big coming from me, as you will soon see as you continue to read.
The "reused" cinematic scenes don't particularly bother me. I can kind of see that argument, but it's not something that really rubs me the wrong way at all. It is what it is. I'm okay with that.
That said, I did struggle with the content of the ending(s). It was so final, yet so ambiguous. There is so much left up to the imagination in terms of what happens next. Nothing is cut and dry. The ending was designed to be somewhat "up in the air" and open to interpretation. I really did find that hard to swallow.
However, my struggle is due to my own personal flaws, NOT a failing of BioWare. I don't deal well with ambiguity like that. Not. At. All.
For example, I did not much care for the movie "Inception". I recognized it's brilliance, the effects were extremely impressive, the acting was inspirational, and I was genuinely intrigued by the story. But when I was left to decide for myself whether or not that top falls after they cut to black… it really upset me. All of a sudden I didn't know whether or not everything was okay, and it caused me to come unglued at the seams. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, because it's not. It's an amazing movie. There is just that one detail that I couldn't handle, because I will never know for sure which ending really happened.
So when I reached that final decision in ME3, I agonized. First, over the decision itself, and then with the consequences of my choice. It wasn't easy. It was far from easy. Then, even when that difficult choice was finally made, the ending left me in a daze. Literally, the next three days after completing the game, I was gutted. I couldn't get the experience out of my head. I didn't sleep well. I felt drained and empty. I hadn't felt this way since… since…
… and that is when it hit me.
I was grieving. I was seriously suffering through the stages of grief.
Some of it was because it was the end of the game. The story I had been so fully immersed in was over, with nothing more to tell. That was plenty difficult on it's own. Yet, that only scratched the surface of my grieving haze.
I was mourning the death of EJ Shepard.
Yes, his name was EJ. That is how I knew him. Even though technically I was playing the game through his eyes, EJ developed into his own independent entity. While I was the one making the choices, every decision was based on the question, "What would EJ do in this situation?". It wasn't about me or what I would do. As the story unfolded, I was basically just participating as a support role. I was rooting for EJ the entire way. I wanted him to succeed.
And EJ was successful. When it came to the final decision, all three options were available. EJ took the path which joined organics and synthetics together to create a new form of life. That was the sort of thing EJ believed in. It was something he was willing to die for, and did without regret.
When all was said and done, though, I hadn't won. EJ was the victor, but I was not. He was gone. I had lost someone that I really cared about.
This is the point where I started to think maybe I was crazy. Like, seriously crazy. This wasn't even a real person! Even more so, this was a non-real person that I had essentially made up! A video game character that I had a hand in designing. WHY AM I STILL CRYING MYSELF TO SLEEP OVER SOMEONE THAT ISN'T REAL???
Good work, BioWare. Good work. That is how you create a story.
I am seriously impressed. It took me several days/weeks to truly appreciate it. I certainly enjoyed the whole Mass Effect experience from start to finish as I was playing, but now it's a whole new level of appreciation. It wasn't just a game experience. It was a complete immersion experience. I was 100% emotionally invested. It didn't matter that none of it was real, because in the end, my gut reaction to it all was very, very real. Mass Effect got in my head. EJ got in my head. Once it was over, I simply couldn't let go. Wow.
Long story short, there was nothing wrong with the Mass Effect 3 ending. I don't even like that style of story ending, and I still say that it was perfect. Well done. I have no complaints on the matter of the ME3 ending. Would I like more specifics? Well, yeah, but that is not because they are necessary. It's because I want them. Need and want are very different things.
One more thing, the whole Mass Effect universe is set up in such a way that no two players will have the same Shepard. Even if you make all the same decisions, the motive is all open to personal interpretation. For those that wanted more a more tailored ending to the game… How?
In summary, BioWare made an amazing game, whether or not I agree with all their methods. Mass Effect became an ingrained part of my life. I miss EJ and all his friends, even though they never really existed. The sad fact that his story is over is something that still lingers in the back of my mind. It is simply incredible to me that a video game can have that much of a hold.
Here's to EJ Shepard. Military hero, son, and friend. First human Spectre. Brilliant engineer. Respected leader. Not the greatest with a gun. Supporter of the Krogan, EDI, and Legion's geth. Uncomfortable around the Hanar. Never trusted Cerberus. Best friends with Garrus Valkarian and Urdnot Wrex. Romantically committed to Liara T'Soni. Saved the Council. Survived the Omega 4 suicide mission with his entire crew intact. United the Quarians and the Geth. Made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve and push forward life in the galaxy, both organic and synthetic.
EJ was still somewhat naive at the start of his adventure. A "boy scout" of the Alliance, he played by the rules and looked for the best of everybody. Despite his strong values, he was forced to recognize that rules were not always present, requiring necessary… adjustments in his policy. Some things, however, were not up for debate. EJ made friends for keeps. Above all else, he valued his friends. Without them, he would not have been able to save the galaxy. That was EJ Shepard.