Unfortunately I had to wait an entire week for the ending due to some ‘family responsibility’ issues so when I managed to actually get to the ending it was… well.. I’ll try to explain.

I’m aware of the whole ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement and that many others feel that the game’s ending was, well, not exactly the best thing since sliced bread. Normally I would try to be a bit more ‘diplomatic’ or neutral but I have to (unfortunately) side with the complainers… Don’t get me wrong, I still think the game is easily one of the best games ‘out there’ but something, somehow just isn’t ‘optimal’.

If I have to summarize the way the ending made me feel it has to be sad, confusing or unfulfilled. The graphics are awesome – especially the space battle scenes. Most of the game (start, middle and up to close to the end) is really good. But the ending part left me confused, perplexed, unsatisfied. Let me try to explain (but it probably would be spoilers for some).

First of the ‘finale’ part of the game feels like just one big cut-scene with no real ‘options’. Yes, the Catalyst give 3 options but it is not implemented in ‘Mass Effect’ dialog style. The whole scene feels dreamy (or nightmarish). Shepard’s reactions/dialog really does not suit the situation – especially since I’ve always played the renegate path when I can. The character’s personality seems dull or boring with no real ‘fire’ left in the spirit like I’m used to. In fact, the most part of the second half of the game I was starting to get that impression that Shepard isn’t ‘Shepard’ any more. I suppose it was done to make the character more ‘human’ but it just doesn’t fit what we’re use to… It could also have something to do with the indoctrination theory that some people have. Who knows…

There is the whole ‘saying goodbye’ part you (Shepard) must do to each character before you enter the final battle grounds. It is almost like they (Bioware) are telling you that all/some of you friends/mates will be dying (which is probably true but why so obvious? The radio dialog of some woman panicking and not knowing what to do any more – why isn’t Shepard allowed to intervene?

Then, the final run towards the ‘beam’ – it doesn’t seem you can do anything useful other than running while people, vehicles and stuff around you gets blown up. What happened to your squad mates? How did Anderson get up to the Citadel before you? Considering he’s an older man which should be slower… Inside the citadel, you end up in a part that has never been discovered (or else someone might have figured out the place has it’s own AI). Somehow the illusive man also makes it to there (though he might be controlled by the Reapers…). You (Shepard) shoots Anderson! Like you are totally being controlled by the Reapers but somehow still have enough ‘willpower’ to argue with the illusive man (and kills him). There are more questions than answers…

Finally the Catalyst explains your options, but movement is still so slow and impaired I didn’t even see where the other options are (I wanted to kill the Reapers but somehow wandered too close to the ‘merge with them option’. In the last cut-scenes the Normandy is flying through a relay and then intercepted by the shock wave of the exploding relay network – crashing on some unknown planet. Joker and EDI (in my ending) gets out both already a mixture of organics and synthetics.. plus some squad mates that happened to be with Shepard just before the final ‘run for the beam’?? How on Earth did they get back to the Ship? Why were they not still in the fight above the Earth? These events might be specific to my choices or how I played the game but you get the general picture – Confusion. Story wise things just don’t add up.

For a game I was looking forward to for such a long time this is not the optimal ending I have hoped for. No, I didn’t expect that winning (destroying the enemy) was going to be the only option or that Sheppard must survive. It seems like none of the 3 options at the end is a true win in any way. Actually, in 2 of them the Reapers actually ‘Win’ while the other option is to go on without any technology at all (or restarting from scratch – literally, just to be able to make all the same mistakes all over again). The ‘story’ is left in a state that begs for more answers!

The things that made ME1 & 2 so great was the way your choices could make a difference to the ending of the game. With 3 it seems (feels like) you might as well have started the game standing next to the Catalyst giving you the final 3 options – because those are the only options that has any real influence on the ending. These options really ‘suck’.

With an ending like this it would be hard if possible at all to have any DLC’s that are meaningful. Nevertheless, this is still is great game if you look at the whole trilogy as one (with one ‘weak’ spot – almost like the Star Wars movies with their Eps 1,2 & 3. The ME3 ending is like Jar-jar… hehe)

Update: there are several articles, blogs etc where people are moaning about the issue. E.g. look at Ars Technica especially the comments…

Update: Also see my additional post