SPOILERS - Mass Effect 3 Ending Disucssion

[himmatsj]

I feel kinda sucker punched by the ending. The entire game is founded on the basis on advanced science and technology...and suddenly we have a catalyst that is more supernatural than anything else. I'm not even talking about the actual endings. I'm talking about the presence of the catalyst itself. Really did throw me off that the devs chose a cop out and introduced some supernatural being right at the end of the trilogy.

Does anyone else feel the same, or am I in a small minority?

[AbedsBrother]

No, you're not in the minority. The mere existence of the "star-child" is a major sticking point for a lot of players. Whether it actually is what it manifested itself to be, whether it assumed that form in an attempt to influence Shepard, whether Shepard was undergoing indoctrination throughout the third game or even the entire series (google "Mass Effect Indoctrination Theory") - there is an enormous amount of speculation about the ending.

Personally, the Catalyst is what ties the series together for me - once I theorized that Sovereign and Harbinger were not their own entities, but each was actually the Catalyst who had "assumed control" of them. Note I said "theorized". There is no proof. If you shoot the Catalyst (the hidden fourth ending!), he uses a voice that sounds like a weird amalgam of Sovereign and Harbinger:
https://youtu.be/bApdjLFcVUk
That's something you'll notice about ME3 ending theories. People (including me) will take the smallest circumstances as evidence because we're so desperate for an ending that makes sense. I think I've arrived at such an ending, but there's no proof. Just theories / head canon.

There is a mod which re-writes the ending and eliminates the Catalyst completely.
http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/66/

Out of curiosity, which of the endings did you pick?

On a related note, did you have the opportunity to play the Leviathan DLC? It explains a few things.

Oh, and here's a fun Easter Egg. Remember the Citadel Tower from the first game (that is only ever revisited in cutscenes in the rest of the series)? Take a look at a map of it. Does anything look familiar? http://guides.gamepressure.com/masseffect/gfx/word/-2060212578.jpg

[himmatsj]

I actually got an ending I never intended to choose. I intended to do the synthesis ending (although there was so much information overload at the time that I had forgotten the ramifications of the previous two choices)...but because Shephard was walking so slowly towards the end of the room, I just got trigger happy and started shooting around and reloading (as I had done a few times already in the ending sequence when you have a gun and are walking slowly). So about 2/3rds of my way to the end of the room, I turn round, start walking backwards, and shoot around again. I then aimed at the catalyst...didn't think anything would happen, and it was so far away already.

Then bam...all of a sudden it ends, showing Liara's VI and a stargazer telling a story to a child. Totally hit me in the guts. 90 hours spend playing the trilogy every night for the past month...and that's what I got for my efforts.

But like I said, I don't really care about the ending per se...the mere presence of the supernatural-like catalyst already threw me off.

[AbedsBrother]

I hope you went back and tried one of the "real" endings.

Leviathan DLC isn't a fix-all solution, but it does explain the Reaper backstory - and how the Catalyst came to be.

[himmatsj]

Originally posted by abedsbrother:

I hope you went back and tried one of the "real" endings.

Why? I didn't get a real ending? What do you mean?

[AbedsBrother]

Well, the Refusal ending - shooting the Catalyst - was a hidden ending that was added in the Extended Cut. Basically BioWare trolling frustrated players IMO.

Synthesis, Destroy, and Control provide an extended montage of what happens after Shepard makes the choice; followed by 5 minutes of narration by Admiral Hackett about the aftermath, which plays over a slide-show of what happened to your squad-mates after the end of the conflict. Maybe not fully satisfying, but much more conclusive. To me, "real."

[himmatsj]

Originally posted by abedsbrother:

Well, the Refusal ending - shooting the Catalyst - was a hidden ending that was added in the Extended Cut.

Synthesis, Destroy, and Control provide an extended montage of what happens after Shepard makes the choice; followed by 5 minutes of narration by Admiral Hackett about the aftermath, which plays over a slide-show of what happened to your squad-mates after the end of the conflict.

Oh wow. Not sure I want to go back and "change" things though. What's happened, has happened. Sucks I got the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ending then though. Moral of the story - don't be trigger happy.

[AbedsBrother]

Originally posted by himmatsj:

Not sure I want to go back and "change" things though. What's happened, has happened.

Normally I would agree. Once I made the wrong decision and Tali wound up committing suicide on Rannoch. I was so p*ssed I started the franchise over from the beginning because loading a save somehow felt like altering history. But in this case you're really missing the pay-off and epilogue of the three games if you stick with the Refusal ending. In my opinion, anyway.

[himmatsj]

Originally posted by abedsbrother:

Originally posted by himmatsj:

Not sure I want to go back and "change" things though. What's happened, has happened.

Normally I would agree. Once I made the wrong decision and Tali wound up committing suicide on Rannoch. I was so p*ssed I started the franchise over from the beginning because loading a save somehow felt like altering history. But in this case you're really missing the pay-off and epilogue of the three games if you stick with the Refusal ending. In my opinion, anyway.

Ok well, I was about to heed your advice...but I have to restart the entire citadel mission, walk slowly throughout and confront the Illusive Man again etc. Don't think I wanna put myself through it. May watch a playthrough for my actual desired ending later on Youtube or something.

Thanks anyways!

[himmatsj]

I understand the limitations of game design perfectly fine. Regardless, in my own humble opinion,me feel going with a supernatural thing such as the catalyst seemed like a cheap thing to do. Ending it right there after your illusion man encounter, and you pressing the button or something...would have made me feel much better about the end sequence.

[himmatsj]

Is this starchild the child in her dreams?

I mean with the whole advanced tech and reality stuff...this one just seems misplaced more than anything else.

[Pepi]

I think it's fine if you choose destroy ending. You can take the starchild as a "last chance for the reapers to stop Shepard from destroyin them". It's fine like this. You know, Reapers trying to play with your mind by bulshitting you and using the face of a child.

ps : himmatsj, ending mass effect with the refusal ending and the only ending you did that's... wow. That must really feel ♥♥♥♥♥♥ xD

[SwobyJ]

Get the DLC.

Mass Effect isn't over.

https://youtu.be/ZdvJJ209oX8

https://youtu.be/uG8V9dRqSsw

https://youtu.be/FdsKH1MBL7c

[SwobyJ]

Supernatural eh?

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/a/a7/GethTemple.png

[SwobyJ]

For the record, I picked Synthesis (Cure, Peace) the first time, then Max Destroy (with Extended Cut, New Game+) ever since (but if I make alternate Shepards, they'll do otherwise).

[himmatsj]

No DLCs for me, sorry. I'm bout done with the game, and I intend not to support the abhorrent DLC implementation in the series.