Mass Effect 3 Thoughts
WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR POSSIBLE ENDING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
So I have spent about the last three months playing Mass Effect, starting with the first game and finally finishing with the new Mass Effect 3. I spent hours getting to know my character and the characters surrounding her. It was an amazing journey.
There are a lot of negative reactions to the ending of the Mass Effect series, though. I thought I was one of those (my ending was horrible sad and I spent a good hour or so in tears) who was dissatisfied with the ending as well. But then I stopped and really truly thought about it.
My Shepard started off as a ruthless vanguard who grew up in Space surrounded by her military parents; the Butcher of Torfan who sacrificed the lives of her team to complete the mission. You see, the last Bioware game I had played was KoTOR; I played a lightside character and was in the mood for something a little less "good". So I decided my Shepard was going to be a Renegade. I could be badass and still be a hero.
It started off well enough. A renegade choice here and there, starting off with the wonderful and memorable "Say goodnight Manuel". But then Shepard started picking up comrades and I started to get to know them. The choices I had to make started getting more complex and required a bit thought.
By the end of Mass Effect, Shepard was a mostly Renegade character with a heart. So I ended that storyline with the Paragon ending.
Then Mass Effect 2 came in. Shepard's not really with the military at this point so I figured I would not be surrounded by those amazing characters who helped me lean my decisions towards Paragon every now and then. I thought that I would work on getting Shepard back to that Badass Renegade that I wanted in the first game.
Didn't happen. In fact, my Shepard was even less of a Renegade by the end of Mass Effect 2. Of course I must give credit where credit is due. The Illusive Man played a huge part in that. Mostly I just wanted to piss him off, so I picked a few Paragon choices just because I knew it would do just that.
But then comes Mass Effect 3. Well this is my last chance to get that Renegade Shepard. But Shepard is surrounded by friends that she has come to know and love. And the final two choices that she was given were to either destroy the Reapers (these are the Big Bad) but also destroy every synthetic life (the Geth, EDI, and possible anyone who has cybernetic implants) or take control of the Reapers herself and sacrifice her life for the survival of all life.
It should have been an easy decision. My Shepard has already sacrificed her entire team once before in her life. Problem is, at this point she has come to care about her team which includes Legion (a Geth who asked if synthetic lifeforms could have a soul. Shepard told him yes) and EDI, an artificial intelligence unit who has learned to actually care about people. On top of that, destroying the Reapers may or may not solve the problem. It is a chance, a gamble.
So my Shepard takes control of the Reapers and sacrifices her life to save the galaxy.
Not what a ruthless, renegade type character should do. My Shepard has come full circle. She has learned to care about the people under her command. She has learned that sometimes it is better to insure loved ones are safe
And I'm finally ok with that. As much as I wanted her to have the happy ending, I can't imagine my Shepard would be as realistic if she did. She started off as a cold and uncaring person; only the success of the mission counts. She ends up giving her life to protect those she loves and cares for.
And then we find out that the story we were playing through is a story that an old man is telling a child. He tells the child that every life out in the galaxy is it's own story. Lot's of people don't like this. I absolutely love it. It is an amazing and powerful message to send to people of today's society.
So, no. I'm not one of the people who were dissatisfied with Mass Effect's ending. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way.
So I have spent about the last three months playing Mass Effect, starting with the first game and finally finishing with the new Mass Effect 3. I spent hours getting to know my character and the characters surrounding her. It was an amazing journey.
There are a lot of negative reactions to the ending of the Mass Effect series, though. I thought I was one of those (my ending was horrible sad and I spent a good hour or so in tears) who was dissatisfied with the ending as well. But then I stopped and really truly thought about it.
My Shepard started off as a ruthless vanguard who grew up in Space surrounded by her military parents; the Butcher of Torfan who sacrificed the lives of her team to complete the mission. You see, the last Bioware game I had played was KoTOR; I played a lightside character and was in the mood for something a little less "good". So I decided my Shepard was going to be a Renegade. I could be badass and still be a hero.
It started off well enough. A renegade choice here and there, starting off with the wonderful and memorable "Say goodnight Manuel". But then Shepard started picking up comrades and I started to get to know them. The choices I had to make started getting more complex and required a bit thought.
By the end of Mass Effect, Shepard was a mostly Renegade character with a heart. So I ended that storyline with the Paragon ending.
Then Mass Effect 2 came in. Shepard's not really with the military at this point so I figured I would not be surrounded by those amazing characters who helped me lean my decisions towards Paragon every now and then. I thought that I would work on getting Shepard back to that Badass Renegade that I wanted in the first game.
Didn't happen. In fact, my Shepard was even less of a Renegade by the end of Mass Effect 2. Of course I must give credit where credit is due. The Illusive Man played a huge part in that. Mostly I just wanted to piss him off, so I picked a few Paragon choices just because I knew it would do just that.
But then comes Mass Effect 3. Well this is my last chance to get that Renegade Shepard. But Shepard is surrounded by friends that she has come to know and love. And the final two choices that she was given were to either destroy the Reapers (these are the Big Bad) but also destroy every synthetic life (the Geth, EDI, and possible anyone who has cybernetic implants) or take control of the Reapers herself and sacrifice her life for the survival of all life.
It should have been an easy decision. My Shepard has already sacrificed her entire team once before in her life. Problem is, at this point she has come to care about her team which includes Legion (a Geth who asked if synthetic lifeforms could have a soul. Shepard told him yes) and EDI, an artificial intelligence unit who has learned to actually care about people. On top of that, destroying the Reapers may or may not solve the problem. It is a chance, a gamble.
So my Shepard takes control of the Reapers and sacrifices her life to save the galaxy.
Not what a ruthless, renegade type character should do. My Shepard has come full circle. She has learned to care about the people under her command. She has learned that sometimes it is better to insure loved ones are safe
And I'm finally ok with that. As much as I wanted her to have the happy ending, I can't imagine my Shepard would be as realistic if she did. She started off as a cold and uncaring person; only the success of the mission counts. She ends up giving her life to protect those she loves and cares for.
And then we find out that the story we were playing through is a story that an old man is telling a child. He tells the child that every life out in the galaxy is it's own story. Lot's of people don't like this. I absolutely love it. It is an amazing and powerful message to send to people of today's society.
So, no. I'm not one of the people who were dissatisfied with Mass Effect's ending. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way.