Mass Effect 3 Ending Discussion

[Typhoid]

Whether you played renegade or paragon Shephard your goal was still to stop the reapers and save the galaxy - that didn't change based on your decisions. The only thing that changes is your methods of doing so.

But doing something that destroys the galaxy regardless is out of character for both Shephards.

So you're telling me that if I wanted to play the game with the goal of destroying the Universe and aiding the Reapers - my goal is still to destroy the Reapers and save the galaxy?

I'm just saying I don't think there is a "right" way to 'be' Shepard. Meaning there is no "correct" thing Shepard would do, and no base personality to compare the way you play to. Nothing is out of character for him, because there is no character of him/her.

The more I read your comment the more it makes me think (Because I was never angered by the end, it didn't make me feel 'good', I was simply content with the way the final chapter [third game] tied the previous games together, and really enjoyed the game itself) - but maaaybe the writers were going for the whole "even the best option is still horribly devastating" thing.
Like dropping nukes on Japan to stop the war, you know. Many people died - but how many did it save?
I found a lot of options in ME3 were "save this person, these people die"/"save those people, this person dies".
It's like they went out of their way several times to attempt to make you think about saving the herd, or saving a goat, and the tough choices involved with leaving people behind in war, or self-sacrifice in order to save other people. I remember so many scenes where people just needlessly die - or sacrifice their own life to finish the mission, and everyone has to just move on to complete the missions because if they don't, that person died for nothing in the larger scale of the Reaper attack.

That just sort of seemed like a pretty big theme to me - and that theme didn't seem to be lost in the final choice. I remember actually standing there for a good 3 minutes at the end choice because I had a "Jesus Christ, what the fuck do I do" moment.
The gravity of the choice seemed so large to me. It didn't matter to me if there wasn't a "save everyone, save the Relays, permanently Destroy the Reapers" option, because I wouldn't have viewed that as 'too realistic' in the Universe it's presented in, especially when the backdrop is currently Earth being blown up and invaded by Reapers.

And why must you constantly state that this is "pretend" or "fake"? Clearly you arent very deep into the Mass Effect lore.

Personal comedy. I usually throw a "fake" into things when talking about video games. I always refer to playing NHL 12 as "fake hockey". Yet I love hockey lore.

I find it funny to debate (in a serious manner) the capabilities of a spaceship that doesn't exist. So to ease my own nerves and make myself giggle at the dumb shit I feel like I am talking about, I throw a "fake" in there.

FTL and the Mas Relays are 2 different things. FTL is for like shorter ranges between stars in the same system. The mass relays are for longer jumps like across the entire galaxy. He wouldnt be crashing from the mass relays exploding if he wasnt using them in the first place.

I just wasn't sure if they jumped by the relays before they exploded, or just did a "Heys guys', lets getses outsa's heres'" type thing and just pressed the "panic" button.
Isn't it a possibility (I'm not saying I believe this, hence the 'possibility') that they'd randomly jump to a random point in space? Maybe it's 100% shown that it's the Mass Relay they take. I'm not sure if them flying away from the shockwave is them in the Mass Relay, or simply FTL-ing away from the shockwave. I just like factual clarification.

[Combine 017]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

So you're telling me that if I wanted to play the game with the goal of destroying the Universe and aiding the Reapers - my goal is still to destroy the Reapers and save the galaxy?

There is no option of playing the game with the goal of destroying the Universe and aiding the reapers. Thats like wanting to play Halo with the goal of helping the Covenant.

I just wasn't sure if they jumped by the relays before they exploded, or just did a "Heys guys', lets getses outsa's heres'" type thing and just pressed the "panic" button.
Isn't it a possibility (I'm not saying I believe this, hence the 'possibility') that they'd randomly jump to a random point in space? Maybe it's 100% shown that it's the Mass Relay they take. I'm not sure if them flying away from the shockwave is them in the Mass Relay, or simply FTL-ing away from the shockwave. I just like factual clarification.

I dont think the initial shockwave was traveling at light speed, and even if they were just FTL'ing in any random direction, it would take years to reach another star system. And if you like clarification how can you like the ending of ME3? Barely anything was clarified there.

[Typhoid]

There is no option of playing the game with the goal of destroying the Universe and aiding the reapers. Thats like wanting to play Halo with the goal of helping the Covenant.

I talked poorly.

But can you not just be a dick the entire series, helping as few people as possible, choosing every renegade option, then choosing the most devastating ending in the final game? I know that isn't "helping the Reapers" literally, because they want to harvest life to make synthetic life - and if anything, synthesis would probably be helping the Reapers - but I just meant in the "saving as little as possible" sense.

Just because the Reapers are invading doesn't mean your goal is to repel them. Hell, one of the final options is to control them. Maybe if your evil you're hoping to control them and destroy more things. Who knows. Maybe you're hoping that synthesis is helping the Reapers. Maybe you want the Earth to be engulfed in a ring of flame. Who knows. Maybe you wanted Sovereign to succeed in the original game. Maybe you wanted the Geth to overthrow the Quarians. Who knows, man!

And if you like clarification how can you like the ending of ME3? Barely anything was clarified there.

joshin' aside - I got to play this game after being with Dylan while he went through all his stages of grief with the ending of the game, and the holes presented and whatnot. So I had already reached the acceptance stage before even installing the game into my system. I'd already heard about the shitty experiences, so I wasn't concerned. While I was playing I was far angrier at all the technical glitches I got. Nothing more anger-fying than rolling (for transport) into a barrier and instantly dying, or getting stuck on walls and corners that you wouldn't think you'd be able to get your character stuck on.

But Dylan made the good comment of [paraphrased] "It bugged me that when you die, the story just ends like that. But I'm okay with it now. It's the story of you as Shepard, and when you die, the story is over."

[Ginkasa]

Its not like that. Unlike something like Fallout or Elder Scrolls or even other Bioware games like KotOR or Baldur's Gate, Shepard does have a little bit of pre-determined character. That character is, without debate, all about saving the galaxy from the Reapers. He is always the good guy, no matter what the player wants. The player just gets to choose whether he's nice about it or whatever.

When Shepard chooses the not help someone its because he's looking at the greater good. He's saving the universe, NO he doesn't have time to stop and decide whether to give your baby genetic modifications or not. If Shepard decides to ruin somebody's day its because either a) that person is the enemy and NO MERCY b) its for the greater good (dropping a nuke or prevent and deadly invasion) c) Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a gun in space.

Shepard is never looking to take over the Reapers and wreak havoc or destroy Earth. I know this because Shepard makes this very clear throughout the games no matter what choices you make. The player may want to be an evil overlord and kill everything, but they can't do that in ME. The player chooses how Shepard goes about saving the universe, but not why and certainly not whether he should or not.