![]() I played straight through and got the damned but dauntless ending: cursing the galaxy to a new dark age in order to free it of Reaper tyranny. That’s not the situation I found myself in, though. So I see where some of the rage comes from. ![]() In the interests of being charitable, I imagine I’d be pretty angry if I invested dozens of hours in online play, as well as sweating over the best offline scenario to bring every race to the table, only to find that I had the same depressing outcome as if I’d played straight through. Either way, the galaxy is getting shut down. In the end, however, the only difference a high EMS rating makes is whether Shepard definitely dies or maybe survives. Either of these tasks can soak up hours of time. But it also comes from fighting back against Reaper forces in various hotspots in the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. This comes from both recruiting other races of the galaxy to your cause, which requires both tactical mastery and diplomatic aplomb. Instructions from NPCs in-game make a big deal of building up your “effective military strength,” or EMS rating. The fleets that followed Shepard to Earth are presumably stranded – although, in the case of the turians, quarians, and geth, it’s not as if they had a real home to return to anyway. The peace and prosperity that was known throughout Council Space is wiped out. With this, interstellar communication and transport come to an end. In both endings, Shepard’s actions result in the destruction of all Mass Relays throughout the galaxy. I think those tactics are a bit extreme, but it is true that the two distinct outcomes of the original version of the game aren’t that, well, distinct. even took the fight to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau, alleging that Bioware had engaged in false advertising. Thousands of fans petitioned Bioware to include more uplifting endings, or at least the possibility of such, in a new cut of the game. But I don’t think that’s the source of the Internet’s outrage)įor those of you who weren’t otherwise familiar, there was a massive controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3. (Yes, there is the plot hole of how the two crew members who came with you to the siege of London failed to make it aboard the Citadel, yet somehow made it back to the Normandy in time to escape the destruction of the Local Relay. As such, a conversation wherein one character reveals the Secret Nature of the Galaxy to the protagonist is par for Bioware’s output, but hardly laudable. ![]() Bioware’s dialogue writing has been better than most video games, but is still raw enough to highlight the limits of the genre, and their tendency to reveal plot through dense blocks of expository dialogue is the company’s biggest weakness. The conversation with the “child A.I.” was a bit twee, especially since this was the same “child” that had been showing up in Shepard’s nightmares up to that point. To limp desperately through the remains of the Citadel was gripping, poignant, and a fitting end. To hold off unending waves of Reaper aliens while waiting for a missile emplacement to lock on target was more than enough. To fight house-to-house in the liberation of London, like besieged Allied troops in the best WW2 flick, was plenty. (Warning: comprehensive SPOILERS for the Mass Effect series to follow) So let’s get one thing out of the way first: I didn’t love the ending of Mass Effect 3. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |