Mass Effect: Thread

First of all, let me say that ME3 is an awesome game. I don't regret one bit buying it, or the "from ashes" DLC, or the "Infiltrator" App for iPad (yeah, bought that one too). You can make it as big an experience as you like, rushing trough the main missions, or exploring all sidequests, talking to people and getting to know their story. Either way, you get to kick a lot of Reaper and Cerberus ass.

To summarize the game: the Reapers attack earth, while Shepard is being held in custody for the events from the "Arrival" DLC from Mass Effect 2 (where he destroyed a Mass Relay, to prevent the Reapers from spreading quickly from their point of initial arrival in the galaxy, and in doing so caused the death of three hundred thousand Batarian colonists). Shepard manages to escape Earth and sets out to get all the help he can get, in order to take back the planet and build a huge device, dubbed "The Crucible", that could stop the Reapers once and for all (the plans for this device are found in the Prothean ruins on Mars).

The final component for the Crucible is at last revealed to be the Citadel itself, which the Reapers have moved to Earth's orbit in order to protect it and also use it to build another Reaper from the harvested humans. The only way to get the inside the Citadel and open it's arms, allowing for the Crucible to dock with it, is to catch a ride in the transport beam the Reapers have set up in London.

After a long battle in the streets of London and one last desperate charge to get to the Reaper's transport beam, only Commander Shepard and Admiral Anderson survive and get up to the Citadel, where they are confronted by an indoctrinated Illusive Man. Since I had full Paragon score at the time, I was able to talk him down, and he ends up committing suicide. After that Shepard meets the "The Catalyst", a ghostly figure in the shape of the little boy from the beginning of the game. "The Catalyst" explains that Shepard has three choices: control the Reapers, destroy them or merge all organic and synthetic life in the galaxy.

Here are the videos for each possible scenario.

"Control" Ending

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"Synthesis" Ending

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"Destroy" Ending

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Since I had a total military strength of 6139, with a galactic readiness level of 86%, which resulted in an effective military strength score of 5279, Earth is "saved". What I mean by that, is that I've seen other videos where a firestorm engulfs the entire planet.

But the endings are basically these three, regardless of your actions in this or any other games. And that is a point some fans find lacking, and I tend to agree with them. It's not that I want 70 different endings, but if given 3 final choices (paragon, neutral and renegade), perhaps you could have been limited by your status. You know, high paragon allows for the neutral and paragon endings, high renegade for the neutral and renegade endings, not enough paragon or renegade status give you only the neutral ending.

Also, regardless of your choice, the Mass Relay network is destroyed. As established in the "Arrival" DLC, that would cause an explosion capable of wiping out an entire solar system. So, all the home planets from the mayor races would have been destroyed. But let's say these are different kinds of explosions, and the energy is transformed into a wave that enacts the ending you chose (which can be supported in the fact that the soldiers on earth don't die in the first burst).

I'm not as concerned as other people for the time it would take to travel around the galaxy and the fate of all the alien fleets helping earth. I remember in ME1, Ashley declared she visited one of her sisters after a 10 light years trip done by regular FTL drive, in just one day, via civilian transport. At that speed, you cold travel from one end of the galaxy to the next in just under 28 years. Take into account the enhanced capabilities of military vessels and the forced technological development needed after the destruction of the Relay network, and things don't look as problematic anymore. Remember also that the Protheans did build their own prototype Mass Relay, "The Conduit", so it is not an impossible task.

Then, there's the Normandy sequence. Some people wonder why it is travelling between Mass Relays. I find that observation to be incorrect. To me, that's just how FTL travel looks like. The way I figure, Joker sees the unknown energy wave emanating from the Citadel and decides to escape. The point I can't explain (though not shown in my videos, but I've read of other people getting them) is the presence of squadmates that where with you in the final push towards the Reaper transport beam, being show after the Normandy crashes. A shuttle rescuing them after Harbinger slaughtered the entire party that was running for the transport beam, seems a bit unlikely.

Also, the "paragon" and "renegade" endings (implied by the red and blue colors of the choices) seem to be reversed. To me, the "Destroy" ending with Shepard surviving (as shown in the short sequence that follows the crash of the Normandy and provided you have enough effective military strength) is, so far, the ultimate paragon ending.

I don't think the endings negate how awesome the rest of the game is. If Bioware changes them via DLC, it's ok. If they don't, It's also ok. Right now, I'm going to make a few more videos (the Hades cannon battle is an excellent example of how to properly kick a Reaper's ass) and then I plan to start a new playtrough from ME1, but this time full renegade

And JC, grats on getting all three endings on the first playthrough. I'm shooting for that on my second.

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The arrival of the fleets is just epic. And that Hades Cannon (AKA a Reaper Destroyer shooting plasma from it's ass) got blasted pretty good.