This post doesn't contain any make-up references, just my thoughts and reactions to Mass Effect 3 and the whole ME series.

MASSIVE MASS EFFECT SPOILERS AHEAD
(I don't have the extended cut DLC, this post tackles the original ending only.)

So...

I finished playing Mass Effect 3 and have a need to make this post.
If you're wondering why did I finished it four months after it was published, it's because I wanted to make new ME and ME2 saves, because I wanted to play ME3 on Xbox 360, and not on my PC.

Now, I won't go into explaining why I needed those saves to play the third game, because if you don't know anything about Mass Effect, you probably won't read this because it won't interest you, and if you'd played ME series, than you already know that you can import saved games into sequel and play all three games with   the same character and game takes into account all of your decisions from previous games which end up affecting events in the sequel.
See...not explained at all :D

I was afraid I would suck at playing FPS-ish RPG on Xbox as I don't really like to play FPS games and mostly play RPGs. For RPGs you don't really need perfect hand-eye coordination  that you must have in order to be good at FPSes, and I played both ME and ME2 at my PC, so I wasn't really sure I'll manage the Xbox controller.
But I think playing Assassin's Creed series trained me well for Mass Effect, so I actually liked the feel of playing the game with the controller :)

Before this playtrough, I finished ME twice and ME2 once on my PC, so I pretty much knew all there was to know and I was afraid I would be bored playing it another time on Xbox...and was I wrong! :)
It was the most enjoyable cca. 100 hours of gaming EVAH :)
I fell in love with Mass Effect all over again <3

So, this is the reason I've finished the ME3 just now, because I wanted to make everything perfect for it to begin with.
I saved the Council, freed the Rachni queen, saved the Asari Thorian thrall, been almost 100% paragon, romanced Kaidan, stayed faithfull to him throughout ME2, had everyone survive the suicide mission, had all the Normandy assets, and finally destroyed the Human Reaper. It took me 50 hours per game, and I felt ready, but afraid, because I was aware the ME3 ending sucked donkey ass (the expression of my boyfriend's face as he finished playing ME3 said it all, he was almost ready to cry).

And here I am...I believe since I was already aware it is a major disappointment I wasn't as outraged as I probably I would be if I'd beaten the game the moment it launched. I had gazillion of theories as why and in what way it would suck, and some of those theories included Hackett and/or Anderson being indoctrinated by Reapers, Illusive Man being personification of the Harbringer, Mass Relays being destroyed, everyone in my party ending dead for the sake of the galaxy, the grand reveal that everything is just a dream of comatose Shepard or even that they will pull a Lost and make everything that happened in ME2 and ME3 be some Purgatory for Shepard and her friends to save the galaxy and at that moment realize they are  in the Afterlife, trying to get into some Heaven-like place.

So you see, I was aware I would probably think ME3 ending will suck, I just didn't know in what way. Now, don't get me wrong, I wanted to like it, I hoped I would be one of the few who is satisfied with the ending, that I would see in it something everyone missed and that I would be "Hey, I know Shepard died (for instance) but it was good, at least she finished the Reapers".

What I got was "It didn't suck thaaaaat bad :/", and after seeing cutscene with Joker trying to escape with  Normandy into godknowswhere, I was like "?". Why THE HELL would Joker, the one that always stood by me, EVER flee the battlefield? Even more, how THE FUCK is Kaidan at the Normandy, when he was in my party, in front of the Beam, probably dying of the Harbringer's laser attack?
And that post credit scene was absolutely unnecessary, it reminded me of the final scene of the Star Trek: Enterprise. I didn't need to hear from some grandpa from the future how epic Shepard was, she didn't need explaining, she just WAS.
Now, non-gamers, or even non-RPG gamers won't understand the bond you can develop with you character. Even though it is all scripted, and you can chose between pre-set choices, living with you Shepard for the last five years, looking at that face for hundreds of hours, learning from her, sharing emotions with her, watching the characters you love sacrifice themselves and die...it is a really special bond.

Everyone's Shepard is their own, to the point when you go to Youtube and watch different ME playtroughs, it feels wrong.

But OK, ending scene, it is as it is, and you can't change that. And even if you think you can, by choosing  different door... all you get is the same room. All you are able to change is the color of the blast (with some minor or major destruction of the Earth, which is totally meaningless).



See, it all stays the same.

Or does it? You can choose your own path, but only one is canon?
If you chose Synthesis, you die.
Control, you die.

Destroy...you live? O.o Why would you ever chose to destroy synthetic life? What about EDI and the Geth?
And I don't get the Boy Catalyst. Is he a part of some God-species? What is his purpose? Reapers are obviously tools for "ascension" and "preservation" of "old" species, flying jars of pickled harvested species.
And if you are so concerned about chaos and dominance of advanced species over "new life", why would you mindlessly kill those species, and use them for their DNA?
If you see that oh-so-feared synthetics (the Geth) are co-existing with organics, why try to undo all of it and kill everyone more advanced than primordial soup (I know, I'm exaggerating it a bit) ?
A person is more than sum of it's molecules, and if a Reaper is not one personality, but consists of billion of programs.

And one thing that bothered me the most is this quote here:


A new DNA? Really?
Sooo...that means everyone will stop being themselves and be changed into a new species?
I don't get it. Maybe it's because I'm a biologist, but you can't just change the DNA of the all of the Milky Way's species and as the only consequence have that EDI and Joker can finally be together as the member of the same species, I don't accept that.

But OK, it ended...and then I went to see Archengeia's thoughts on the subject...and I almost cried at what-could-have-been...



Just imagine that scene he's talking about...Harbringer dead, everyone at a huge party, reminiscing about fallen friends while holding your first-born child with Kaidan, little Thane...
OK, I maybe added on it a bit, but wouldn't that be a more satisfying finale?
To have to hold back the tears, because of overwhelming emotions of happiness and a sense of loss?

And if you are interested in more Archengeia's videos on the matter, you have to check these out:










Now, if you excuse me, I have to watch and read some additional theories on ME3, the documentary that aims to explain the indoctrination theory and a google docs file titled "A Logical Breakdown of Why the Mass Effect 3 Ending Makes No Sense"

I believe my brain will be even more full of fuck, after I read/watch it all, but I have to.

And please, I'm curious, if you read this entire post, please leave a comment.
you don't have to log in or anything, I would just like to see if anyone actually read it :D
just leave a "+" or something :)

Thank you,

Nic