Where did Mass Effect go so WRONG?
Okay, Normally I lock my Journal, but everyone knows how I feel about Mass Effect.
It's borderline unhealthy.
I know that I'm not the only person who is less than impressed with the ending. And I respect the work that bioware put into game. The games got ultimately darker and darker as they progressed and it makes sense that Shepard could die in the end. I like the darkness of the game. But I feel like I wasn't given a real choice in the end when it mattered to me most. The thing is, the three available endings are not different enough to make me feel like I got a choice, because here is the thing, a role playing game is about the mission, but it's also about the characters.
I have a lot of characters. I don't mind if Gemma, my Sentinel Shep who romanced Thane jumps into the Catalyst and saves EDI, the Geth, and life more or less as we know it.
I mind if Jane my Vanguard who Romanced Kaidan does anything but survives and comes back to him.
I mind if Elle my Adept who Romanced Garrus doesn't survive.
I don't mind if Mea my Soldier destroys the Catalyst, I don't mind if she jumps into the Catalyst. She never had a relationship with anyone, she's got no one to leave behind.
It's the difference of leaving people behind and not. I freaked out when I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Harry was walking away to sacrifice himself. My parents abandoned me of a sort. It gave me some issues. As such I tend to trend toward the Earthborn Orphan Shepard, I find it easy to relate.
Dying doesn't scare me. Being left behind does. It's the most painful thing I have ever experienced and I don't like exploring it in my recreation. If that means I should only be playing Fruit Ninja, then perhaps it's time to start reevaluating my video game preferences.
I'm not saying that Bioware needs to change the entire ending. There is no need to recall the game and give us all our money back. There is no need to scrap what is. Frankly Bioware doesn't need to do shit. What I think is that Bioware SHOULD do a DLC pack where Shepard can live. Can Live and go back to Earth. If she uses EDI as proof that a fully evolved AI can go love, and exist among organics. If she brings EDI with her onto the Citadel maybe?
Alternatively? I wouldn't hate it if Shepard and her LI die together. I knew as soon as I started staggering toward the Conduit that this couldn't end well, because I would HAVE to have been staggering there alone. My team (which contained my LI would have been wiped out.) You shouldn't have that feeling. You should always feel like your game can end well.
It's borderline unhealthy.
I know that I'm not the only person who is less than impressed with the ending. And I respect the work that bioware put into game. The games got ultimately darker and darker as they progressed and it makes sense that Shepard could die in the end. I like the darkness of the game. But I feel like I wasn't given a real choice in the end when it mattered to me most. The thing is, the three available endings are not different enough to make me feel like I got a choice, because here is the thing, a role playing game is about the mission, but it's also about the characters.
I have a lot of characters. I don't mind if Gemma, my Sentinel Shep who romanced Thane jumps into the Catalyst and saves EDI, the Geth, and life more or less as we know it.
I mind if Jane my Vanguard who Romanced Kaidan does anything but survives and comes back to him.
I mind if Elle my Adept who Romanced Garrus doesn't survive.
I don't mind if Mea my Soldier destroys the Catalyst, I don't mind if she jumps into the Catalyst. She never had a relationship with anyone, she's got no one to leave behind.
It's the difference of leaving people behind and not. I freaked out when I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Harry was walking away to sacrifice himself. My parents abandoned me of a sort. It gave me some issues. As such I tend to trend toward the Earthborn Orphan Shepard, I find it easy to relate.
Dying doesn't scare me. Being left behind does. It's the most painful thing I have ever experienced and I don't like exploring it in my recreation. If that means I should only be playing Fruit Ninja, then perhaps it's time to start reevaluating my video game preferences.
I'm not saying that Bioware needs to change the entire ending. There is no need to recall the game and give us all our money back. There is no need to scrap what is. Frankly Bioware doesn't need to do shit. What I think is that Bioware SHOULD do a DLC pack where Shepard can live. Can Live and go back to Earth. If she uses EDI as proof that a fully evolved AI can go love, and exist among organics. If she brings EDI with her onto the Citadel maybe?
Alternatively? I wouldn't hate it if Shepard and her LI die together. I knew as soon as I started staggering toward the Conduit that this couldn't end well, because I would HAVE to have been staggering there alone. My team (which contained my LI would have been wiped out.) You shouldn't have that feeling. You should always feel like your game can end well.