Luya Sevrein
March 20th, 2012, 12:04 PM
As the title suggests, massive spoilers for the ending.
So, I've played these games over 3/4 years like many people, and the ending left me... Just unsure, I guess. It was nothing about the way it was done, I think. A few more cut scenes featuring your old allies and the actions they take would have been preferable, just so I could feel like I'd accumplished something, or feel proud. All I got was one scene of the fleet arriving, some holograms, and some guy voiced by Guy of Gisbourne telling me that only 50% of my ground Troops (who were all, oddly human Alliance and no one I have recruited) made it.
The chance to speak to literally every ally you'd made was lovely. But it felt like a slap in the face to then not get a cut scene with Wrex. Voted a firm fan favourite, I don't understand why he's the only one left out of your squad, and, worse, the only one you can not interact with fully in the final (London) area. Made me sad.
Other than those issues, the actual working of the ending is fine.
Now we get onto the good old Starchild-Catalyst-Deux Ex-Citadel-TIM sequence. Oh, the fun! This has been controversial as I understand it, between fans who liked the ending, disliked it, enraged fans, depressed fans, confused fans, fans in denail...
I'm going to be honest. I'm one of those who goes for the indocrenation theory. In that, it is my belief that either after speaking with Anderson or after Harbringer's laser hits Shepard, you are under Reaper Control. Everything appears blurred, or wrong, your level of bleeding is constantly shifting, the Citadel bodies are featureless dolls, your Squadmates are all gone, yet no corpses can be found. (In fact, later, it turns out that at least one of them is magically on the Normandy.)
In the theory I agree with, Harbringer is the Catalyst AI. The whole scene is quite crazy, really. Shepard, a usually tenacious and questioning character rolls over and accepts all of these facts without question, also knowing nothing about this random AI. He/She accepts the choices presented. You'll also notice that the AI only speaks negatively of one choice - Destruction.
The way I read it, yes, war might come again between Synthetic and Organic life, but peace can always come of it, just like it has between the Geth and the Quarians. Synthetic life can advance, and Organic life can evolve. The Reapers and their annoying Catalyst are doing nothing by restarting the Cycle but trying to control everything and giving in to their fears. Their ultimate plan is Synthesis, I suppose, which may either be a neutral want of theirs, something they believe is 'meant to be,' or 'an ultimate solution', OR, It may be the Reapers taking control of everyone and everything in existance.
Either way, Synthesis seems like a random, never before discussed option. It is introduced to Shepard who is supposed to, in a matter of seconds, decide it is in everyone's best interests without even giving them the choice.
Then, there is Control. Giving up who you are in order to save everyone. Seems so selfless, right? Seems perfect. Yet, throughout all three of these games, you've been trying to tell people 'No, you can never control them, they control you!' Then suddenly Shepard is told, 'Oh, but that doesn't apply to you, you're specail, you can control us.' Fishy, no? You'll also notice that this is the only option where the AI remains and is seen after Shepard is dying/changing. It is also the option where the changing Citadel closes, instead of explodes. The Reapers are also still alive, but are they really controlled or have they just crippled technology, setting everyone back thousands of years? Maybe that's how the Cycle always begins again, all of the advanced races amassing and becoming 'trapped' so to speak. The rest get's lost in 50,000 years of history until we are beliving in 'Shields that Guard us from the Heavens,' such as at the Temple in Thessia.
So, having looked at Control and Synthesis, we come to Destruction. How could you wipe out the Geth? And EDI, who's shown you how far AI can come? Yet, wait, every piece of dialogue in this game, Renegade or Paragon, has come down to 'We must destroy the Reapers.' Destruction is Shepard's intended goal, and always has been. Since when did we want to meld? Since when did we want the Reapers to leave us alone?
The AI also tells Shepard that, because he/she is part synthetic, he/she must also die. Yet, we see Shepard waking up in rubble (possibly the London rubble) after the Normandy scene, taking a breath. If Shepard is a lie, it is possible the AI was lying to steer him/her away from using the Crucible for it's proper purpose.
You should also note the colours, and faces, of representation. Destruction, a typically renegade action, is represented by red and yet also by Anderson. Control, the calm colour of Paragon blue, is represented by the Illusive Man, and Green, represented by Saren.
I hope the ending is this, or something akin to it, otherwise I can't say what I would think... Likely that it was rushed due to a leaked ending or a sudden change of mind, or too much time spent on SW:TOR. They made little effort to explain anything, such as how Synthesis would even work. But, this just adds to my theories that Harbringer was trying to control you.
The only scene I don't get is the Normandy scene. Why was Joker running? He knew what Shepard was going to do, and he knew he might die. He's 'nearly died' a good ten times at least without running away when he saw the Crucible was flashing - y'know, what we were gonna' do anyway? Also, for many, at least one of the squadmates you chose to accumpany you on the ground has somehow ended up on the Normandy (despite Joker having returned to the air battle prior), and is now on another world.
Perhaps it's an indocrenation dream. I don't really know about that part...
Anyways, rant and theories over. What did everyone think of the ending?
So, I've played these games over 3/4 years like many people, and the ending left me... Just unsure, I guess. It was nothing about the way it was done, I think. A few more cut scenes featuring your old allies and the actions they take would have been preferable, just so I could feel like I'd accumplished something, or feel proud. All I got was one scene of the fleet arriving, some holograms, and some guy voiced by Guy of Gisbourne telling me that only 50% of my ground Troops (who were all, oddly human Alliance and no one I have recruited) made it.
The chance to speak to literally every ally you'd made was lovely. But it felt like a slap in the face to then not get a cut scene with Wrex. Voted a firm fan favourite, I don't understand why he's the only one left out of your squad, and, worse, the only one you can not interact with fully in the final (London) area. Made me sad.
Other than those issues, the actual working of the ending is fine.
Now we get onto the good old Starchild-Catalyst-Deux Ex-Citadel-TIM sequence. Oh, the fun! This has been controversial as I understand it, between fans who liked the ending, disliked it, enraged fans, depressed fans, confused fans, fans in denail...
I'm going to be honest. I'm one of those who goes for the indocrenation theory. In that, it is my belief that either after speaking with Anderson or after Harbringer's laser hits Shepard, you are under Reaper Control. Everything appears blurred, or wrong, your level of bleeding is constantly shifting, the Citadel bodies are featureless dolls, your Squadmates are all gone, yet no corpses can be found. (In fact, later, it turns out that at least one of them is magically on the Normandy.)
In the theory I agree with, Harbringer is the Catalyst AI. The whole scene is quite crazy, really. Shepard, a usually tenacious and questioning character rolls over and accepts all of these facts without question, also knowing nothing about this random AI. He/She accepts the choices presented. You'll also notice that the AI only speaks negatively of one choice - Destruction.
The way I read it, yes, war might come again between Synthetic and Organic life, but peace can always come of it, just like it has between the Geth and the Quarians. Synthetic life can advance, and Organic life can evolve. The Reapers and their annoying Catalyst are doing nothing by restarting the Cycle but trying to control everything and giving in to their fears. Their ultimate plan is Synthesis, I suppose, which may either be a neutral want of theirs, something they believe is 'meant to be,' or 'an ultimate solution', OR, It may be the Reapers taking control of everyone and everything in existance.
Either way, Synthesis seems like a random, never before discussed option. It is introduced to Shepard who is supposed to, in a matter of seconds, decide it is in everyone's best interests without even giving them the choice.
Then, there is Control. Giving up who you are in order to save everyone. Seems so selfless, right? Seems perfect. Yet, throughout all three of these games, you've been trying to tell people 'No, you can never control them, they control you!' Then suddenly Shepard is told, 'Oh, but that doesn't apply to you, you're specail, you can control us.' Fishy, no? You'll also notice that this is the only option where the AI remains and is seen after Shepard is dying/changing. It is also the option where the changing Citadel closes, instead of explodes. The Reapers are also still alive, but are they really controlled or have they just crippled technology, setting everyone back thousands of years? Maybe that's how the Cycle always begins again, all of the advanced races amassing and becoming 'trapped' so to speak. The rest get's lost in 50,000 years of history until we are beliving in 'Shields that Guard us from the Heavens,' such as at the Temple in Thessia.
So, having looked at Control and Synthesis, we come to Destruction. How could you wipe out the Geth? And EDI, who's shown you how far AI can come? Yet, wait, every piece of dialogue in this game, Renegade or Paragon, has come down to 'We must destroy the Reapers.' Destruction is Shepard's intended goal, and always has been. Since when did we want to meld? Since when did we want the Reapers to leave us alone?
The AI also tells Shepard that, because he/she is part synthetic, he/she must also die. Yet, we see Shepard waking up in rubble (possibly the London rubble) after the Normandy scene, taking a breath. If Shepard is a lie, it is possible the AI was lying to steer him/her away from using the Crucible for it's proper purpose.
You should also note the colours, and faces, of representation. Destruction, a typically renegade action, is represented by red and yet also by Anderson. Control, the calm colour of Paragon blue, is represented by the Illusive Man, and Green, represented by Saren.
I hope the ending is this, or something akin to it, otherwise I can't say what I would think... Likely that it was rushed due to a leaked ending or a sudden change of mind, or too much time spent on SW:TOR. They made little effort to explain anything, such as how Synthesis would even work. But, this just adds to my theories that Harbringer was trying to control you.
The only scene I don't get is the Normandy scene. Why was Joker running? He knew what Shepard was going to do, and he knew he might die. He's 'nearly died' a good ten times at least without running away when he saw the Crucible was flashing - y'know, what we were gonna' do anyway? Also, for many, at least one of the squadmates you chose to accumpany you on the ground has somehow ended up on the Normandy (despite Joker having returned to the air battle prior), and is now on another world.
Perhaps it's an indocrenation dream. I don't really know about that part...
Anyways, rant and theories over. What did everyone think of the ending?