Amazing that this article exists- because I purposely avoided those videos, having a gut feeling that they were filled with spoilers I would prefer to experience first hand when the game is finally out. I don't even think I'm going to watch any more trailers for Prometheus or The Dark Knight Rises if they are released either. I'm sold on all of these things already and can't really get any more excited, previews and trailers will just ruin stuff at this point.
Why the (Synthesis) ending didn't piss me off: Shepard Character Arc: Resolved Reaper War: Resolved Fate of ME universe: Different that it was two minutes before the game ending, ripe for exploring in new games that do not feature Shepard or the Reaper War. It may not have had Return of the King style 20 epilogue ending where you find out exactly what happens to everybody for the next decade after the conflict is resolved; but it wrapped up the bits it needed to and left enough questions for us to ponder until the (inevitable) next Mass Effect trilogy starts.
@kerwinramos Those characters may not have had a huge impact on the overall outcome of Shepard's story- but the point was that Shepard had a huge impact on the outcome of THEIR stories. Your choices do matter- did you broker peace between the Geth and the Quarians? or did you kill one or the other? Did you manage to keep Miranda alive, or is she dead? (or going back to Mass Effect 2, did you manage to keep anyone/everyone alive). All of those things matter to the outcome of your overall story, even if they weren't referenced in the ending video specifically- did you forget they happened the way they did because they were absent from one cinematic at the end of the game?
@Volgin I chose the synthesis ending- the green electronic glow on all of the characters, suggest (in my interpretation) that the line was blurred between synthetic and organic- removing the inevitable war between the two by effectively making them all the same. Similar to how David (in project Overlord) was able to interface with the Geth, I believe now all organics and all machines will be capable of interfacing with each other. Yes you are right, the ME relays were destroyed, making interstellar travel next to impossible. But can you say with absolute certainty than with the current merging of organics and synthetics, allowing all of the most brilliant minds of the ME universe to interface with each other like machines, working at full capacity, can't possibly construct new Mass Effect relays or find a new system of interstellar travel altogether? As far as the supernova Mass Relays go, I'm sure the nature by which they were destroyed has something to do with the different outcome. The organic/synthetic synthesis had never been done before and therefore, does not have a precedent. I can only assume sending green energy that rewrites the genetic code of everything in the galaxy through the relays, destroying them from the inside out, would have a different effect than crashing an asteroid into the outside of it.
Also worth noting, I played on Insanity and the part where you are wounded and have to fight the three husks and one marauder was so infuriatingly difficult, I was totally ready to hate the ending (took me an hour, it was hands down, the hardest part of the game; woozy character who can't aim, no cover, no shields, slow firing weapon and particle effects that decimate the frame rate are not a good mix. Bioware, if you're going to change anything about the overall ending sequence, take out the particle effects and easy up on the woozy aiming a bit in that sequence. We get it, he's hurt, he's still commander Shepard and shouldn't die 30 times fighting 4 low-to-mid level enemies at the very end of the game).
Just got to the ending now- I officially think the haters are either crazy or didn't play the game in a way that gives them a good ending. I was a Paragon, had 100% Galactic Readiness, and around 6000 effective military strength. I chose the middle path at the end- Synthesis. It was really awesome. It resolved the Reaper conflict, advanced the ME Universe in a really trippy way (which I won't spoil for those who haven't played it) and gave a definitive end to my Shepard that was heroic and satisfying. Not only will I not join the petitions to change the ending, I call shenanigans on all those who do. SHENANIGANS!!!!!
And will people stop incorrectly using "schwag"! SWAG is an acronym for "Stuff We All Get" which refers to gift bags you'd get at conferences, t shirts that you might get with a game release or posters you might find at a movie premiere. "Schwag" is a slang term for low quality marijuana.
I think this article is a bit off the mark- Preordering Assassin's Creed III does not say "I won't ever buy original IPs because all I want is sequels"- I specifically speaks to the quality of the Assassin's Creed series; and how gamers trust the team at Ubisoft to deliver an experience that is worth $60. Many people know off the bat, whether or not they'll buy certain games- but that doesn't mean they won't try new games too. People are just less likely to preorder original IPs, because they don't have a proven track record. Many games that looked awesome in the months leading up to release (Brink, Dark Void and Bionic Commando come to mind) can easily end up being terrible when they are actually on store shelves. That's not to say that AC3 can't possibly be a bad game, but chances are if you like AC, AC2, Brotherhood and Revelations, you're curiosity as to how AC3 impacts the running narrative, and your satisfaction with the entries that came before it, would be enough to logically justify a purchase. Ask Kevin Van Ord, he's got an order of assassin's freaking tattoo! Try telling me he didn't confidently preoder AC3 this weekend!
@Slash_out You don't think there's a small chance that the data may be a tiny bit skewed by the fact that every single person voting/posting on the ending are also the people who marathon'd through the game in under a week? Is there maybe the slight possibility that the vast majority of players who aren't blowing through the campaign on casual (and perhaps have jobs to go to) may get to end in another week or two and have a different opinion on the ending? Do you know what happens when people change the endings of their artistic properties? Crap like Darth Vader screaming "Noooooo!" while chucking the Emperor into the pit.
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