Mass Effect 3: The Perfect Ending
Prior to playing Mass Effect 3 I’d read a plethora of complaints from internet dwellers who’d played the game. This outcry was loud enough that BioWare (the developer) released free content to supplement the ending, the section that most took issue with. Personally, I played it with this DLC pre-installed, and as such I’m sharing my views with this in mind.
Throughout the trilogy BioWare put a heavy emphasis on choice. The majority of which was achieved through dialogue options, however there was the odd occasion or two where the passage of time played a part (time only moved forward during mission time). It was because of this – in the majority of cases, at least – that fans were so outraged when they reached the end only to be given one of three choices, seemingly nullifying all that came before it. Now, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, such is the beauty of free will. However I feel compelled to disagree whenever I read or hear the issue raised, as – in my opinion – it couldn’t have ended any other way.
Usually whenever a game’s story is discussed people talk about the cut-scenes or essentially whatever happens outside of “gameplay”. There are however other ways of telling a story in a video game. One of the finest examples is found in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s infamous Mission 43 that sees players executing NPCs they’ve actively sought out and collected, all the while receiving notifications that every kill is losing “heroism points”. On top of this the player is given an item that highlights which characters are infected and which are not. They all are, making it redundant. There’s also another character telling you how awful these actions are. There is no way out of it though. In order to complete the mission you have to eliminate these characters. End of.
This form of storytelling seems to have also been utilised in Mass Effect 3. In the two preceding games you’re made to feel a certain connection with the story. You can customise the main character’s face, first name, attire, choose dialogue options, romance options, etc., and you’re actively encouraged to converse with the various NPCs. You hear their backstory, trade witty comments, touching moments, and in some cases inadvertently cause them to “die” (or even choose to kill them). Emotion’s clearly a key element to the series. On the other hand though, there’s also the fact you’re supposed to be an intergalactic war hero...
Yes, whilst Mass Effect enjoys pulling at heartstrings making us laugh and cry, it also does its best to make the player feel like an elite soldier. The game sees you take on hoards of enemies with only two members of your team selectable to assist you. Whilst seeing the game over screen is a likely possibility throughout any playthrough, making it to the ending of Mass Effect 3 means that you have overcome every obstacle put in your path. You’ve made it all the way, and you’re greeted by three choices. So why is it the perfect ending?
Well, quite simply, the ending shows just how frivolous your choices have been. The galaxy’s under siege from supreme technological beings that has previously taken the main character the length of an entire game to defeat. That’s just one. It would, quite frankly, be incredibly naive to believe an army made up of characters the player has easily defeated in the past would be able to eliminate every single one of the synthetic juggernauts. It simply wouldn’t hold up in the context of the story so far. And, despite how much you may have fallen in love with a fictional blue alien, or punched a reporter at every possible opportunity, or upgraded your weapon to hold additional ammunition, would that truly matter to a supreme being such as “the catalyst”?
No, I don’t believe it would. The story of Mass Effect – as told through the gameplay itself – is incredible. It’s a story that tells us “stop and smell the roses”, and to enjoy the journey while it lasts, because at the end of the day, the sun will set, so live your life the way you want, as it’ll only end in one of three ways: murder, suicide, or naturally.
Mass Effect 3: The Perfect Ending
If one accessed the internet in search for opinions on Mass Effect 3’s ending, a plethora of complaints may be found. Indeed, following the game’s release there was a large enough outcry that BioWare(the developer) released free content to supplement it. The intention of this review is to analyse said ending and suggest it may not be as poor as popular consensus may suggest.
Throughout the trilogy BioWareput a heavy emphasis on choice,the majority of which was achieved through dialogue options. Playing such a central role, many fans claimed to feel outraged upon reaching the story’s climax, only to be presented with one of three choices, seemingly nullifying all before it.The argument could be made this in fact didn’tmake previous choices redundant, as a person or character’s final moments aren’t always indicative of their past. This is quite evident when considering a person can die from lung cancer despite dedicating their life to fitness, whereas a smoker can die simply from natural causes.
When discussing a game’s story, one could be forgiven for focusing on cut-scenes rather what’s told through playing the game itself, an approach taken by numerous developers. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s Mission 43 sees players executing NPCs they’ve specifically sought out and collected, all the while receiving notifications that every kill is losing “heroism points”. On top of this the player’s given an item highlighting which characters are infected and which aren’t. They all are, essentially making it pointless. There’s also another character exclaiming how awful these actions are, and in order to complete the mission the player has to eliminate them. This is one example of how a story can be told without relying solely on cut-scenes.
This form of storytelling seems to have also been utilised in Mass Effect 3. During the two preceding games, BioWare intended to make players feel a certain connection with characters. Ranging from customising the main character’s face to romance options, playersare actively encouraged to explore the fictional set-up. Emotion clearly appears to be a key element, and as such the story of Commander Sheperd is one the player shapes through their decisions. This doesn’t necessarily mean the same can be said of Mass Effect’s story.
Considering the entire trilogy, the story suggests the protagonist is an elite soldier. The game sees players take on hordes of enemies with only two NPCs available to assist at a time. Reaching the game’s ending means the player has overcome every enemy thus far, effectively claiming these enemies are inferior. This inferiority means none are comparable to Sheperd, a character that took the length of an entire game to defeat a single Reaper (the game’s antagonistic robots). With this in mind, whatever army the player has amassed by the end is still made up of the same characters types that have been defeated by three characters, meaning perhaps they aren’t up to the task of taking on large numbers of enemies that have successfully exterminated entire civilisations previously.
Upon meeting the main antagonist “the Catalyst”, players must sit through a monologue as the character explains the reason behind Reaper attacks, amongst other things. Following this the player is then presented with the three choices – the same three that gamers complained about. However, it’s worth pondering if a supreme being would care whether the player has fallen in love with a fictional blue alien, punched a reporter at every possible opportunity, or upgraded your weapon to hold additional ammunition. Whilst it cannot be confirmed due to a lack of supreme beings with which to consult, the point could be made that said being would see these as frivolous choices, as the character outright dismisses organic life on a regular basis (relative to the history of the galaxy, at least).
In conclusion, it could be argued that Mass Effect’s story could not have ended any other way, nor Commander Sheperd’s life/career. There are, after all, only three ways which a life can end: murder, suicide, or natural causes. This doesn’t mean the life leading up to said event is meaningless, it is simply the end. When taking this into account, along with complaints of limited choices, Mass Effect 3 may not have ended as poorly as many people have suggested.
