Mass Effect 2 was suppose to precede a very different Mass Effect 3.
As you may be aware, the lead writer of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, aswell as the three official Mass Effect Novels (Revelation, Ascension, Retribution), Drew Karpyshyn, left BioWare before the work started on Mass Effect 3. Mass Effect 3 was intended to carry on the story developing throughout Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and the novels. Yes, the Human Giant Terminator boss-thing at the end of Mass Effect 2 is not actually so random when you consider what the original story for Mass Effect 3 was to be. It was all centred around dark energy.
Dark Energy had been repeatedly foreshadowed throught the series, in Mass Effect it was explained that basically everything relied on dark energy. Dark enegy however was begining to consume the universe (in reality, dark enegy makes up over 75% of the universe, and it is increasing, however we still don't know what it is, what it does, or where it comes from, anyway, I digress), remember Haistrom (or however it was spelt, the planet where you pick up Tali in Mass Effect 2, with Kal'Reegar), the sun was being consumed by dark enegy. This was our first major set-up for Mass Effect 3 (or rather what was suppose to be Mass Effect 3). The Reapers have been trying to find a way to stop the spead of dark enegy for billions of years, and the whole harvesting that takes place every 50,000 years is just a way to slow the spread down and elevate the most able species into Reaper form, to attempt to find a solution.
Humanity has always been explained as unique. As an asari put it in Mass Effect (1): "put three humans in a room, and you will get six opinions", Reapers realised that humanity could be the ones to break the cycle. A human Reaper could provide the solution, hence they tried to make one in Mass Effect 2 quickly. Emphasis on the quickly. The harvesting process is said by Javik to take centuries. That human reaper being constructed by the collectors could be down covertly, taking only a handful of years. Shepard stops the reaper build in Mass Effect 2, unknowingly potentially dooming the universe. The spread of dark energy has reached it's crisis point and now the Reapers have to start the cycle and find a solution to the problem, then comes Mass Effect 3, to explain the motivation of the Reapers and introduce to us this whole problem of dark energy.
However, a concept such as dark energy apparently did not appeal to the wailing 13-year old Call of Duty market that EA wanted to target. Hence we have this **** that is Mass Effect 3.
"...this bewildering finale felt as if you had been listening to a soaring orchestral movement that ended in a cacophonous blast, the musicians tossing down their instruments and walking away. I find it hard to conceive how the creators of such a magnificent franchise could have made such a mess of their own universe. The plot holes, thematic inconsistencies and a deus ex machina that was unforgivable in ancient Greek theatre, let alone in any modern narrative, all combine to erode the foundations upon which the rest of the experience resides. (It's a disturbing sign when apologists for such an ending have to literally hope that what they witnessed was just a bad dream in the central character's head.)
I'm sure in my diatribe with Made Nightwing I would have cited Charles Dickens being alert to, and adapting his writing in response to the floods of letters he received from his fans in the serialised delivery of stories such as The Old Curiosity Shop. And I know I mentioned F.Scott Fitzgerald extensively redrafting Tender is the Night for a second publishing after receiving negative critical feedback. Indeed, whatever you think of the final result, Ridley Scott was able to reassert a definitive vision of Blade Runner in spite of its original theatrical release. Despite what critics might burble about artistic vision there is innumerable precedent for such reshaping, even beyond fundamental industry practices such as play-testings and film test-screenings. If a work of art has failed in its communicative purpose (and unless angering and bewildering its most invested fans was the goal, then Mass Effect 3 has done so), then it cannot be considered a success, and is not worthy of regard." - Professor Dray.
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