[General Battuta]

I really loved a lot of things in this game but Tuchanka was the crown jewel. The Citadel coup was also pretty good.

I'll even go so far as to say I liked Kai Leng as an antagonist. He didn't fit into the universe, his cutscene-compelled victory over the player was annoying, and he was a total prick, but all these factors combined into a sort of weird metanarrative impetus to kill the **** out of him.

[phatosealpha]

Kai Leng's death was an epic waste.  They go through so much trouble to show us that Shep is under unbelievable stress and is starting to crack.  Her comes Kai Leng - risking all life, killing a friend, possibly 2, maybe a love interest, taunting, and being an epic douche while doing it.  The real Villains are not something that Shep can shoot/crush/kill, but here we have a volunteer surrogate who can be subject of physical violence, and he gives us ample reason to go completely bonkers.

Instead, one stab?  That's it?  Hell, I was a biotic, right until then I didn't even realize I had a tech blade.

This should've been a Mortal Kombat fatality, followed by a completely berserk Shepard smashing his corpse.  Probably punctuated by EDI going "Shepard, sensors indicate he's been dead for at least 30 seconds.  I think you can stop now."

Instead of a perfect scene of Shep cracking under the stress, we get one stab.

[The E]

Well, if there's one thing that's clear about Shep, it's that she doesn't crack when under pressure, or in active combat. It's when she has downtime that doubts start to creep in.

[achtung]

Legion's entire story in ME3 brought a tear to my eye, and made me find a new distaste for the space gypsies.

[General Battuta]

I...had mixed feelings about Legion's story. He had a lot of well written scenes, but I didn't think the new Geth writer really grasped what was interesting about them the same way Chris L'etoile did.

[TrashMan]

There is a limit to any interactivity. In the end it is telling of a story. It must have an end. An end the writers make.
It being a game changes little to nothing.

There is a limit to interactivity, yes, but it being a game changes a lot. In a movie, opera, book, or whatever, you follow a predetermined story from the side, to it's conclusion. In a game, you are the character. You look at the galaxy through Shepard's eyes, you change it through the choices you make, and you feel emotionally attached to the characters you interacted with over the years.
Following a story from the side, and participating in it actively through the protagonist's eyes make all the difference here.

Not a big difference. You are NOT Shepard...that is an illusion. Shepard is largely a pre-defined character.
And at any point you are faced with limited choices. Peopel only complain when those choices are not what they watned (like some people complaing that had to work with Cerberus in ME2).
The developers/writers CAN  make several vastly different endings. Or there can only be one ending. Either way, they are not obligated to make an ending you want. They're not even obligated to make several endgins.

Feeling emotinally attached changes little too.

[achtung]

There is a limit to any interactivity. In the end it is telling of a story. It must have an end. An end the writers make.
It being a game changes little to nothing.

There is a limit to interactivity, yes, but it being a game changes a lot. In a movie, opera, book, or whatever, you follow a predetermined story from the side, to it's conclusion. In a game, you are the character. You look at the galaxy through Shepard's eyes, you change it through the choices you make, and you feel emotionally attached to the characters you interacted with over the years.
Following a story from the side, and participating in it actively through the protagonist's eyes make all the difference here.

Not a big difference. You are NOT Shepard...that is an illusion. Shepard is largely a pre-defined character.
And at any point you are faced with limited choices. Peopel only complain when those choices are not what they watned (like some people complaing that had to work with Cerberus in ME2).
The developers/writers CAN  make several vastly different endings. Or there can only be one ending. Either way, they are not obligated to make an ending you want. They're not even obligated to make several endgins.

Feeling emotinally attached changes little too.

Good observation, they aren't required to make a decent ending. In fact, they could abstain from making an ending at all! Although if they want to keep any semblance of good relations with a large portion of their fan base, then it would be in their best interest to change the ending. In other words, nobody is required to buy their products either. Capitalism can be nice. I'm definitely not going to buy any more of their products until something substantial is released about the ending.

[Luis Dias]

Still haven't finished this game, merely having just received Grunt's "HEEEY SHEEPPAAAARDD!", why is it that only the Krogan know how to salute an old friend? , anyways, I do have three kids in the house, and I must take the game slowly. So it's kinda funny to see all the world unravel in such a colorful fashion (ar ar ar) around me, and I'm still somewhat oblivious to all the shenanigans...  (well, despite all the spoilers I didn't get to avoid that is).

So perhaps I'll be lucky and I will only finish this amazing ****ty game (which is it now I do wonder?) when BioWare releases their Ending DLC, which is a kind of new "ware", perhaps a "VaporFanWare" or something... to that effect. Jesus Christ what is it this game and its lousy puns?

Anyways, the thread, apart from its lowest moments, is very funny and satisfying entertainment. Please go on .

[Ace]

I...had mixed feelings about Legion's story. He had a lot of well written scenes, but I didn't think the new Geth writer really grasped what was interesting about them the same way Chris L'etoile did.

I loved Legion's sacrifice, but at the same time yes the new writer seemed to think that "differently sapient" wasn't as valid (EDI wanting to be more human, and doing the Data/Pinocchio routine was another case of this). At the same time he did open some plot hooks that would have made it more acceptable: basically using the Reaper code although against the Geth's self-determination was absolutely necessary because they realized how the dyson sphere made them too vulnerable and centralized, turning their greatest strength (networked intelligence, non-centralized) into their greatest weakness. (having to centralize)

They sort of bring that up with the "we became stupid and scared" but probably more was needed on that from legion's own perspective about why he felt it was necessary to use the Reaper code under those conditions.

[General Battuta]

Amazon is offering full refunds of opened copies of ME3. People are treating this like some huge deal, but I don't actually know if that's out of the ordinary.

[achtung]

Amazon is offering full refunds of opened copies of ME3. People are treating this like some huge deal, but I don't actually know if that's out of the ordinary.

Usually retailers, online or brick and mortar, refuse opened copies outright. Sometimes you can scream at enough people and get through, but if they are making it a no-questions-asked affair, that seems odd.

EDIT: Honestly, I'm basing this on past experience and precious common practice. Things may be different now.

[General Battuta]

Yeah, I don't think this is a big deal.

[TrashMan]

Found this interesting post from Arinn Dembo:

I think it's more to the point that if fans had been allowed to revise tragedies in Shakespeare's time, every single one of the greatest plays in the English language would have been magically transformed into completely, utterly forgettable and vapid crap.

And I'm sorry, but any writer knows better than to let the mob revise a work of art...just as any game developer knows better than to mistake the delivery of a working piece of commercial merchandise for a promise that "You will be entirely emotionally copacetic with the fate of your character and the universe at the end of this game."

The idiots who filed complaints with the FTC and the Better Business Bureau against Bioware really crossed the Rubicon, so far as I'm concerned. This issue had already crossed the line between gamer's rights and gamer's sense of entitlement a while ago; now it has become a declaration of war on the developers and publisher. If it was my decision to make, I would scrap any plans for an alternate DLC ending immediately; the money is better spent on lawyers, thanks to these morons. It's one thing to give your fans something they want, and it is another thing entirely to appease thugs and bow to threats and extortion. The former is understandable. The latter is fatally stupid.

The idea that this incident is a valid expression of consumer rights is preposterous. It is NOT ok to conflate your dissatisfaction with the ending to a story-line with a failure to deliver a software product in acceptable or finished condition. That is insanity, and quite honestly the fans who push for that reasoning are the strongest argument AGAINST any pandering whatsoever to the desire for a new ending. The idea that Bioware is legally culpable for your dissatisfaction with the ending to a story is dangerously absurd.

--Arinn

[Liberator]

That sort of implies that this is a masterpiece of some kind.  It's not, it's the same 3 endings with just a few variations. 

Angryjoe did a Top Ten list of why the ending sucks, he takes a lot of care to not be angry or rabid in his comments.

Lastly, it is well within the realm of possibility that Bioware planned the whole thing out.  There is one ending where you see Shep gasp for breath before the black to the credits.  It's entirely possible that these endings are fever dreams that Shepard is having as he lays in the rubble attempting to fight off some kind of directed Indoctrination.

There was an article on CNet earlier that suggested that Bioware has let slip that they are considering a DLC to revise the ending.  I'm positing right now that this DLC is already complete because the ending was scripted this way.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we've been trolled.

[newman]

Epic fail from the start. You can't compare a computer game in which you fight evil sentient space machines to Shakespeare. And I'm annoyed at people always trying to. This isn't an artistic masterpiece, nor was it ever meant to be.

[TrashMan]

Epic fail from the start. You can't compare a computer game in which you fight evil sentient space machines to Shakespeare. And I'm annoyed at people always trying to. This isn't an artistic masterpiece, nor was it ever meant to be.

Sez who?
Computer games ARE partially art. And ME was tying to tell a deep, emotional, serous story.

[TrashMan]

That sort of implies that this is a masterpiece of some kind.  It's not, it's the same 3 endings with just a few variations. 

The 3 endings might appear the same, but they are vastly different in consequences.
The long-terms consequences were never expanded upon, and you get no narration/textboxes telling you what happened, but that is not necessary.

They are PRESENTED lazily, but tehy are different.

[Dark RevenantX]

Just because Mass Effect 3's style of ending narrative is new and unconventional doesn't mean it's good.  Why do you defend such awful writing?  I don't even care about the ultimate outcome of the galaxy; the ending is like they hired Gainax to produce it.

[Ashrak]

its pretty much assured that a new ending DLC is coming. due to the fact that the real ending script was leaked before ME3 was suposed to come out. so bioware nuked the leaked ending made a temp one, but because they had a date released this one. its quite obvious from the current ending that sheppard was indoctrinated ever since he got hit by harbinger.

[TrashMan]

What this does reveal is the disconnect between other forms of Media and games.

If you watch a bad movie, you complain about it to your freinds (or social media site of choice these days) and move on with your life.

Listening to an album you purchased that turns out to be not quite your taste. Again you complain to those you know about how awful it was.

If you purchase a book and you just cannot get into it, you dislike the plot or the way it was written, you put it down.

With all of them you get on with your life and I dont think most sane people would feel the need to hunt down the record company, the movie industries website etc... to leave complaints on the forum demandin they rewrite it.

After reading the latest installment of A song of fire and ice, I thought it was average, it didn't quite continue with the same power and flow of the previous books. At least that was my belief. I would hardly want to go to Mr Martin's website and demand that he rewrite the book and get Danaeris out of that bloody city.