Mass Effect 3

[Monk]

I'm about 20 hours in. I got lucky in that this game was released after i'd finished up for this quarter. Not a whole lot to do in my classes right now so i've been letting myself get lost in this game for the next day or so. I don't think I'll finish before Friday though as I still have to meet social obligations...

All in all I've been enjoying myself immensely. I mentioned what I hated in a previous post and I still hate it quite a bit. The stripped down conversational paths is a huge problem and has in some parts come close to hurting the enjoyment. I feel like ME3 is much more of an action and a shooter than it is an RPG. Oh don't get me wrong it has tacked on RPG elements but at its core, it feels like it was designed as a shooter and cinematic experience first. Bioware has definitely sacrificed some of the RPG feeling to obtain a greater sense of those two aspects and I don't feel good about that.

I've also been warned by almost everyone that the ending is going to seriously upset me as a fan of this series. While i'm still in the dark about what that spoiler is (and wish to stay that way), i have to admit that hearing the same thing from so many people doesn't have me optimistic. I will say this, that the entire build before that point is great. I feel like i'm getting close to the end and the story has been great so far with no profoundly stupid moments to speak of. Some oddities here and there, some things that i have to chalk up to sci-fi cheese...

The death scenes for certain characters have been hit or miss. I remember bursting into laughter at one with how overly dramatic Bioware attempted to be. And yet with another, I was on the edge of my seat as I watched. Hoping that maybe this wasn't going to end like it seemed it would..

The tone has been mentioned in many articles but it bears repeating.. christ is this game bleak. Its not a detraction or anything but I've rarely seen writing where the destruction, loss and hardship is on this scale. I used to write stuff this crazy bleak when I was 15 and posting in the Mead Hall, but this stuff even beats that for how dark it is.I don't think it hit me until.. well.. Until i did Samara's quest line.

Spoilers for Samara's involvement in the game and quest line. Major plot spoils.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

You run into Samara (provided she survived) when you're on a quest given by Liara. You're trying to secure an Ardact-Yahkshi temple, only the reapers have gotten there first and everything goes into the quick. The Reapers want to turn the Ardact-Yakshi into super weapon husk variants, almost something out of dead-space imo. Samara is there trying to find her two daughters who are also in danger. Long story short.. you manage to destroy the temple but one of Samara's daughters is makes her escape with you. Samara is a Justicar, but now that there is no sanctuary for the Ardact Yakshi and Asari space is crawling with Reapers, there's no place for her daughter to go.

Samara's code compels her to kill her own daughter so as to not let her be released into society and potentially turn into another Morinth. And that's when Samara shoots herself in the head. I could have tried to stop her but I didn't. I honestly didn't know what I could do or say to make her stop. I mean jeeze, I played ME2.. i know what can happen. So Samara killed herself right in front of me. When i first met that character i had a feeling Bioware would do something like that. The strict code - it doesnt jive with how people live their lives. She said it herself in ME2 - the code is black and white. Life isn't..

There were others before that. Moments where I felt that this story was very dark, but it was that moment that really slammed the point home. I don't think Bioware wants this game to have a happy ending, and i'm sure that's exactly what has people so up in arms. Is it? I have no idea. I'll know after about 10 hours of game time.

[Greyblades]

Funnily I found out if you do it right, utilize a high paragon or renegade score and fight tooth and nail fo it you can resolve almost everything into a good and upbeat manner.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

For example, I cured the genophage with wrex and eve in charge of the Krogan, managed to talk the quarians into not attacking when legion makes the geth stand down and united both sides on thier homeworld, and saved the rachni again with no casualties. Which kinda makes the endings so dang annoying because whatever I do I can do jack squat about it.

[Monk]

Funnily I found out if you do it right, utilize a high paragon or renegade score and fight tooth and nail fo it you can resolve almost everything into a good and upbeat manner.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

For example, I cured the genophage with wrex and eve in charge of the Krogan, managed to talk the quarians into not attacking when legion makes the geth stand down and united both sides on thier homeworld, and saved the rachni again with no casualties. Which kinda makes the endings so dang annoying because whatever I do I can do jack squat about it.

Unfortunately for some of us, our choices are haunting us.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Saving the female was never an option since i destroyed Maelon's cure in ME2. Bit of a cloaca move now that I think about it but it seemed like an okay idea at the time. In fact I did a lot of dumb stuff in ME2 solely to grind renegade points. Should have just cheated a full renegade score for the conversation options and did everything smartly.

And Rachni V2? Good lord man the Queen was screaming insanity. I dunno about you but it seemed a VERY bad idea to keep her around. Then again, i killed the crap out of the queen in 1. Maybe she would have been more stable if i didn't

Some things have been resolved nice and happily, but on the personal level there's been high instances of not being able to get everyone out. A lot of personal loss for strategic gain.

[Greyblades]

Unfortunately for some of us, our choices are haunting us.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Saving the female was never an option since i destroyed Maelon's cure in ME2. Bit of a cloaca move now that I think about it but it seemed like an okay idea at the time. In fact I did a lot of dumb stuff in ME2 solely to grind renegade points. Should have just cheated a full renegade score for the conversation options and did everything smartly.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Ouch, Wrex plus ungenophaged krogan gave me an 800 war score, better than anyone else aside for alliance.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And Rachni V2? Good lord man the Queen was screaming insanity. I dunno about you but it seemed a VERY bad idea to keep her around. Then again, i killed the crap out of the queen in 1. Maybe she would have been more stable if i didn't

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My main game strategy was save as many people as possible so I pushed as far as I could the peace options, and it works! I only lost one ex party member this game and I think that one was because I forgot to get to the member's sidequest in time. That's what annoys me about the ending, I managed to do the impossible in my first run getting everyone together, Asari, Salarian, Turian, Krogan, Quarian, Geth, Aria's mercs, Ex-Cerberus, Rachni, Volus, Elcor, even the blasted Batarians and yet I get such a cruddy ending, heck when I checked online for the 100% "perfect ending it still didnt do anything for me.

[Monk]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My main game strategy was save as many people as possible so I pushed as far as I could the peace options, and it works! I only lost one ex party member this game and I think that one was because I forgot to get to the member's sidequest in time. That's what annoys me about the ending, I managed to do the impossible in my first run getting everyone together, Asari, Salarian, Turian, Krogan, Quarian, Geth, Aria's mercs, Ex-Cerberus, Rachni, Volus, Elcor, even the blasted Batarians and yet I get such a cruddy ending, heck when I checked online for the 100% "perfect ending it still didnt do anything for me.

What really? I've lost a ton. Can I ask some questions then?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thane, Samara, Legion and Mordin are all dead.

Thane got stabbed in the chest by a cliche while protecting the Salarian councilor. How could I have saved him? It didn't seem like it was an option, he was pretty far gone in his disease by the time i caught up with him on the citadel. He didnt seem to have any quests for me and i did his quest in Me2

Mordin sacrificed himself to distribute the cure, i tried to interrupt him but he told me he had to do it. Probably because of what I did in ME2. I am assuming you kept the cure?

Samara i probably could have saved but didn't try. Would the interrupt have actually worked?

Legion killed himself because there wasn't enough data, he had to upload his consciousness to the Geth collective to distribute his upgrades fully. Did you save the heretics in ME2 or kill them?

[Greyblades]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thane, Samara, Legion and Mordin are all dead.

Thane got stabbed in the chest by a cliche while protecting the Salarian councilor. How could I have saved him? It didn't seem like it was an option, he was pretty far gone in his disease by the time i caught up with him on the citadel. He didnt seem to have any quests for me and i did his quest in Me2

Oh, Uh I kinda lost him in the second game, didnt come up.

Mordin sacrificed himself to distribute the cure, i tried to interrupt him but he told me he had to do it. Probably because of what I did in ME2. I am assuming you kept the cure?

He still dies with the cure but it actually works in helping the krogan, kinda wish I could get both him and the cure there but they treated his death nicely so it wasnt a big problem. Huh now that I think about it when I said I only lost one member I had forgotten about him, I lost 2 members.

Samara i probably could have saved but didn't try. Would the interrupt have actually worked?

Yup. Kiddo had to agree to stay at the ruined monistary though, I kinda hope none of the reapers survived that explosion.

Legion killed himself because there wasn't enough data, he had to upload his consciousness to the Geth collective to distribute his upgrades fully. Did you save the heretics in ME2 or kill them?

Saved them, yeah he dies technically, but I don't count it because he's just now spread among the whole race, I could see him returning to life in an instant if the geth felt it neccissary and made the effort.
What he means is he forgot
Shut up!

[Monk]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Oh, Uh I kinda lost him in the second game, didnt come up.


He still dies with the cure but it actually works in helping the krogan, kinda wish I could get both him and the cure there but they treated his death nicely so it wasnt a big problem. Huh now that I think about it when I said I only lost one member I had forgotten about him, I lost 2 members.Yup. Kiddo had to agree to stay at the ruined monistary though, I kinda hope none of the reapers survived that explosion.


Saved them, yeah he dies technically, but I don't count it because he's just now spread among the whole race, I could see him returning to life in an instant if the geth felt it neccissary and made the effort.
What he means is he forgot
Shut up!

Hah, whoops. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to spoil that for you unnecessarily, i just assumed. Yes.. despite my renegade tendancies I got everyone out alive in ME2. I think thats whats been so shocking this time around - I've lost a lot of people and that sucks.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Though I do feel a bit better about Mordin and Legion now that I know it's just a cause of circumstance, and not another Embarrassing Renegade Shepard Moment©

The cure still works without the female by the way so long as you take the relevant options. The female would just give the Krogan a much stronger hand, obviously. Guess Wrex will have to settle on his own