Comments on: [Gamer Diary] Mass Effect 3

By: Stephen B

Stephen B — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:12:21 +0000

Hate EA so much… so much… Apparently Origin is a ‘feature’ for our benefit. Or something.

Anyway, great post! Cleared up a few questions I had (and I’m VERY glad to see they got it right from the feminist angle). Good to hear it runs well on not-new machines too!

But I’m not buying ME3 until they make a happyhappy heroic ending.

Because despite the gloom and ‘we must make hard decisions’ of the earlier games, there was plenty which suggested Shepard DID have it in them to save the day. And I play games to be a superhero, so I want my 100% success ‘grow old a hero with your romance partner and every single npc alive’ happy ending, dammit.

And if I can’t have it, I’ll… not buy the 3rd game, and invent my own ending from 2. I just don’t want the fighting bits badly enough to buy it and have the epic story end that way. Which is… the first time that’s ever happened. I guess that’s a testament to the writing and cinematography of 1+2, but it means I’d genuinely rather wait for fan-made content than accept the official ending.

By: Dave W

Dave W — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:59:04 +0000

Another trivial before-I’ve-finished-reading nitpick – if Wrex is still alive, his interactions with Eve are much more equal. They throw words back and forth, but he never questions her autonomy. Which I like, because Wrex is meant to be a true hope for a krogan future and Wreav is meant to be a complete douchebag.

By: Russell

Russell — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:08:23 +0000

A second trivial nitpick: I believe the ending DLC (at least) is supposed to be free, so EA making money out of it isn’t necessarily the primary driver. Retaining consumer goodwill might well be though.

On a more general note, perhaps the reactions to ME3 and Dragon Age 2 will persuade EA that they need to allow Bioware more time to actually finish their games. Or perhaps not. These large faceless corporations rarely behave in ways that make even a droplet of sense.

By: Alasdair

Alasdair — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:42:15 +0000

Totally trivial nitpick, something I’m sure you’re aware of, but other readers may not be: it *is* possible for Shepard to live, it’s just bloody difficult, unless you play the online multiplayer. (In which case a few hours play of that should render it a reasonably easy task.)

Personally, what bugs me about the ending isn’t the events, it’s that your choices have a negligible-to-the-point-of-being-laughable effect on what you actually see happening, despite the fact that the events in each of your three choices could easily play out quite differently.