And it can be summarized as this:
"You did't like our original tri-colour ending? FUCK YOU! ROCK FALLS, EVERYONE DIES, YOU LOOSE!"

 

Well... it's actually better.

Since we're all feeling spoilerific for some reason...

Spoiler

I really like the rejection ending, except I was expecting the mention about reapers sustaining losses or something, but on deeper thought that doesn't really help the next cycle as the reapers can rebuild.
All in all all was there - the Shepard remained proud, and the scenes ended with the Liara's beacon, as I figured it would.
The fact that the ending is about defeat, well, I guess there will be rage, but I'd say it's alright. Kind of brings the point where everyone talk that they can't possibly kill the reapers.

It's less "haha, don't choose this, so you die". But more of the "You have to choose cause you can't win other way." If there were a few exploding reapers on display, with some kamikaze tactics on the side of the Shepard's fleet, well, that would have been perfect.

You can't win everything.


The other endings were improved. Well executed bad endings indeed.


Synthesis is still full of shit, and I'll ignore it's existence.

In general though, from this moment on, I believe that people won't be content, but I guess this "improvement" is enough for me to consider buying the game again.
There are reasons why it has 90+ score in lots of places. There are plot holes and stuff, but I can manage - with these endings (and with me liking the reject one, even though it has it's flaws) I now can finally play through every game again.

Also, I'll finally get to play some multiplayer, proving people are still on that. (I think there should be some, though.) I really, liked it on beta.


For those who will continue to hold the line - consider this, if you got these endings in the beginning, would you have been raging so? It was kind of disappointing, but at least now it's a moderately well executed disappointments, and actually four button endings.
It's your choice whether to continue or not, just try not to sound like little children.

Spoiler

The funniest bit is that the Normandy's crash is made completely pointless -all endings show it taking off. So, nobody's stranded anywhere. But they had to leave it in, cause otherwise it would have been changing something in the original endings and not expanding on them.

 

There are. Me, for one.

EC is still showing as unreleased for me though - I was able to "buy" it from the Origin store, but it shows up in my DLC list as "Unreleased" and doesn't download. Did it get released earlier in Europe or something?

Edit: Never mind. Us PC users got screwed over yet again and have to wait longer.

 

I don't get how "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies" is a good or satisfying ending. Don't follow the evil Starchild thing, so you die, die, and die.

 

Watched the Refusal, Control, and Synthesis endings (as well as what happens if you try to shoot the Starchild) on Youtube. I'll edit this post later after I've played through the Destroy ending with my Shepard.

EDIT: Jotting down notes as I play. Spoiler tags.

Before I start, I'd like to note that the Destroy ending was the only ending that the Deep Breath sequence could be viewed.

Spoiler

The Catalyst claims that it is an AI that was created eons ago by an entity or entities that recognized that there would always be a schism between artificial and organic life, in order to mediate between and ordain peace between organic and synthetic life. The first solution of mediation failed, and so the second solution of using Reapers to harvest organics and preserve them as new Reapers, while culling the pinnacle of sentient life to make room for new civilizations was conceived. The creators of the Catalyst (presumably the creators of the Citadel and the Relays) were culled as the Catalyst forcibly harvested them to create the first true Reaper - which was made in the image of their creators.

Huh. So they harvest both organic AND synthetic life. And our creations. And our knowledge. Hm.

The Crucible was first conceptualized several cycles ago - the Reapers thought they cleansed the knowledge, but it persisted.

Okay. So the Catalyst claims that because Shepard made it onto the Crucible, it is forced to change its 'solution' a second time. Presumably this is because if organics were able to pass down knowledge of the Crucible through several cycles despite their best efforts (the Reapers believed the knowledge to be lost), and put an organic being in direct interface with the Catalyst (Shepard), then simply shutting down Shepard, destroying the current cycle, and hoping that a single cache of data doesn't survive into a future cycle is less than optimal.

So this would be why it attempts to involve Shepard in creating its 'new solution' - and offers him/her the choice in Control/Synthesis/Destroy or the new Refusal option. It wants to have a new solution, or so it claims.

It really wants to have a Synthesis ending. Considering the layout of the interior of the Crucible (is it the Crucible? It's unclear where the final Choice takes place, other than that it's supposed to be in the Citadel/Crucible area), with the Synthesis path being on the center and being the largest, the design follows this. Which is odd, if you consider that the Crucible is an organic invention created to subvert the Reapers, and that the Catalyst claimed that the Reapers wanted its knowledge destroyed. Contradiction!

Perhaps the Crucible is of Reaper or the original creator race's design? Or perhaps the Catalyst's idea in the first place. The Indoctrination Theory is an easy way to handwave these concerns.

Okay. Ending's over.

Time for rampant speculation and unreasonable analysis!

Spoiler

Okay. I still got Deep Breath at the end of Hackett's speech. Will consider that later.

For now, I'd like to address the implications of the Control and Synthesis endings. Control has Shepard become a new mind to guide the Reapers, to control them in defense of 'the many', essentially a new Catalyst. In effect, since the old Catalyst supplies this option to Shepard itself, this can be seen as a step to update its 'solution' in order to adapt to the inception and persistence of the Crucible. If we favor that explanation, it would mean that the Crucible is in actuality a threat to the Reapers in that they can't do anything about how it's operated, and the Catalyst itself wants to see how Shepard, the 'supreme' organic being will act, and perhaps change its solution accordingly.

Synthesis is shit but seems to be what the Catalyst wanted Shepard to choose - and this leads me to think that the Catalyst itself, for whatever reason, wants to end the cycle. It says that they tried to force Synthesis before, but organics weren't ready for such a fusion then, and it's only Shepard that makes this ending possible. Okay, sure. But, then again, I have to fall back on my earlier idea that since we're inside the Crucible in the final sequence, and the Reapers supposedly had no hand in designing the thing, even going as far as trying to destroy it... why the hell is Synthesis even a viable option, nevermind Control. If the goal of the Crucible was to destroy the Reapers, it would make more sense to simply only design a Destroy panel and leave it at that.

That is of course, unless the final sequence takes place in the Citadel and my assumptions were wrong.

When you activate the Refusal option, the Catalyst loses its child-voice, the voice with fem/maleshep's voices overlayed onto the child's voice, and instead takes on a more traditionally Reaper-sounding tone to say "SO BE IT.", in a not-quite-contemptuous but decidedly non-friendly way. It's as if the Reapers are, while not resigned, are disappointed in Shepard's choice to do nothing, and the lapse in vocal control (the child voice comes back immediately after, saying "The cycle continues...") could be taken to signify an emotional response triggered by its disappointment in leaving the choice to Shepard.

To be honest, the Refusal ending is the one that makes the most sense. It's just not particularly satisfying after three games' worth of content trying to stop that fate.

To be perfectly frank, armed with the knowledge that one of the Bioware execs was quoted on Twitter or some other place (no, I'mnot hunting it down at 4 in the morning) to say that the players would have to make up their own minds about the endings... I'm quite happy to speculate on what the implications of the endings in total mean.

Spoiler

Personally, I'm of the opinion that the Catalyst (the Starchild) was telling the truth about its origins and its purpose, though the same can't be said of its explanations and attempts to convince Shepard that it is and was justified in doing as it did, and that a 'new solution' is needed.

The Control ending suggests to me that the Reapers, though each one has a distinct personality (Harbinger and Sovereign), are governed by an overmind - i.e. the Catalyst (it claims that it is the embodiment of all Reaper intelligence). Each Reaper has a purpose, created to fulfill a function, and the Catalyst tells them their function.

Synthesis tells me that the Reapers cannot interface with the Crucible on their own. Somehow, even the collective intelligence of the Reapers (the Catalyst) can't choose an ending, requiring Shepard to choose for them, though they try their damndest to get Shepard to choose what they want (Synthesis). Which is why they try to finalize his/her indoctrination with the Anderson/TIM sequence, and try to reason with him/her after Shepard makes it into the Starchild's chambers.

Refusal simply reinforces the knowledge that without the Crucible, Reaper victory is inevitable. But that also means that since the Catalyst gave Shepard a choice, the fact that it didn't try to just outright shut him/her out and just go along and destroy Earth, (SO BE IT implying that it is SHEPARD'S CHOICE to not Choose one of the three endings), means that something was motivating it to have an organic mind choose the future.

The explanation it offers about its creators and its function - to facilitate peace between all synthetics and organics - coupled with its talk on how Created things only do what they were created to do, means that if it's telling the truth, it must mean that if there is a better option for peaceful coexistence, the Catalyst will take it.

So 1. the Catalyst sees its current solution of harvesting organics to be the only true course of action at present, 2. the creation and survival of the Crucible, and the fact that Shepard was able to even get to the end forces it to reconsider its earlier paradigm to accommodate extraordinary organic efforts to survive, and 3. it can't affect the Crucible's energies itslef, and so must have Shepard do it for it - and with the Catalyst, synthesis is a viable option and so it tries to get Shepard to choose its own interpretation of the most optimal solution - Synthesis. Control is also acceptable since it means that Shepard will ascend and become the new Catalyst to guide the Reapers, and will provide a new solution regardless. Destroy will absolve it of its duty.

And here, I suggest reading this fic http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mass-effect-conception-warning-spoilers.219158/

It considers a ME3 ending where humanity was turned into a new Reaper inside the Citadel at the final battle of Earth, with Shepard being its driving identity, and the new Reaper's interactions with the overmind of Reapers throws everything into discord, and the rest of the Galaxy fights on attempting to survive.

I'm favoring an interpretation where the individual Reapers are exactly as they are portrayed in taht fic - and it's the Catalyst that provides them with function and allows them to perpetuate the Cycle to justify their own creation (ascension) as Reapers. Control gives them a new function and purpose. Synthesis takes away the need for their function to exist in the first place. Destroy absolves the Reapers of their sin and pain and self-propagating function.

As the Catalyst sees it... maybe it's a win-win-win scenario?

End rambling mess of speculation.

 

I watched them on Youtube because I couldn't be fucked to download this and reinstall the game.

It still feels lazy as hell; there were just a bunch of additional CGI, but like with the original cut the colours were replaced here and there and the narration was changed. There was still the same silly sepia filtered clip show of everyone who died.

One thing I found incredibly stupid was the cheering/fist pumping seconds after the reapers start to piss off or blow up.

On a whole, I'm slightly more satisfied with the extended cut but that isn't saying much. I still can't bring myself to give a fuck about the game and would much prefer leaving it to die than speculating.

 

What you find on YouTube, atleast with what I could find, does not show the huge amount of changes made during the chat with the Starchild nor during the actual run to the beam.

I found the EC to be what I was looking for. It answered the questions that I had but left enough open for me to wonder about the future.

 

Pretty much what's already been said. Still bad, but no longer ass-clenchingly, rage-inducingly bad. Oddly enough, I actually kind of liked the extended control ending, not for what it adds to the plot (which isn't much), but for the budding megalomaniac vibe I got from Reaper-Shepard's monologue.

The Reject ending is probably the one I'd choose if (and that's a big 'if') I ever played ME3 again. Here is another video of that ending that lasts through the credits to that scene at the very end with the kid asking for more stories about "The Shepard".

Spoiler

Except in this one, it's a couple of aliens talking about how, while the previous cycle (Shepard's cycle) lost the war, the information they collected and left behind for the next cycle in Liara's time-capsules allowed them to beat the Reapers once and for all.

 

Out of all the extended cut endings, I think the control one works the best. Probably because the closing narration being done by Shepard helps give the rest of the story a bit more resolution.

Still a case of "let's see how much we can polish that turd!" though. I can't entirely blame the people writing the Extended Cut for that though. From what I know the Extended Cut was made by different writers than the original ending and they were hamstrung by the fact that they couldn't remove content, only add it. Removing content would be an admission that it was shit - er - violate EA's "artistic integrity."

 

My thoughts after playing through the new rejection and destruction endings (I'll play through control and synthesis later):

Spoiler

1. The solution to the squad members plothole (at the beam) was pretty plotholey itself. How do you explain the Normandy being within a few hundred meters of a dozen reapers for several minutes without being obliterated?

2. I want to be able to shoot the Keepers, dammit.

3. I still find the Starchild's logic flawed - based on his own logic, he should have rebelled against his purpose long ago, and yet he continues to work towards organic/synthetic cooperation, in his own twisted way. I suppose he did rebel against his creators by turning them into the first reaper, but that was in line with the solution they had devised. In other words, to continue using his own examples, he was like fire, simply fulfilling the purpose for which he was made. There should have at least been a dialogue option to point out this contradiction to him.

4. Based on the new info, the Control ending is by far the best option. The only misgiving people had about it before was that the duration of Shepherd's control was unspecified. Since the Starchild established that he is essentially replaced by Shepherd, there are no downsides, apart from Shepherd's death/assimilation into the Borg. Synthesis is still shit, though I can understand now why the Starchild sees it as the best option.

5. The increased exposition at the end was nice. It was something that really should have been included in the original ending.

6. The rejection ending was a tad light on content, especially with the new content that all of the other endings got, but it was still decent.

7. The quality of the EC endings really lends credence to the rumor that the original ending was 100% un-reviewed Casey Hudson work, and not really a planned thing.

 

I kind of like that now, instead of full on confusion, you actually can speculate something more than simply choosing three colors.

On the Starchild,

Spoiler

I kind of expect it's logic to be somewhat flawed. It is a being that isn't a god, it just controls the reapers. It doesn't understand organics, and views them as something he has to fix. I guess it never even considered that the first solution it found is flawed. (It might even be an error in programming, or a wrong rounding problem. (Like geth heretics)). Shepard arriving to the crucible is, probably, the only fact that he has, that contradicts his theory. So he searches for a new solution.

Not being able to point out the problems of inhuman and freaky way the previous sollution works is bad, though.

On reject ending

Spoiler

So, there's a scene at the end where they say that finally the next cycle won? Awesome.
So, stopping the first invasion and maintaining the relay network operational did help to distribute the warning beacons easier, with an archaeological precision. So you do accomplish something.

On synthesis.
Fuck Synthesis.

---


In other news, as of today, I now own a copy of ME3.
will have to wait till I return home to play some multiplayer, though.
(the fact that a friend gave me a spare SC2 account for a few months and that I have a bunch of friends that want me to play it, might interfere a bit, too)

 

Not exactly. It's implied that they won or are fully prepared for the invasion, but no one flat out says it.

 

Spoiler

"They fought a terrible war so we wouldn't have to."
"And that's why we have peace?"
"Yes. Without everything they accomplished, without the information they passed down, we too would be threatened."

Sounds close enough.

 

Okay, so I've played through the Destruction ending now. I'm reasonably happy with it. Yes, it's the info dump I was expecting, and there are still a few plot holes, but nothing I can't live with.

Spoiler

I like that it is now possible to see Shepherd survive without having to trawl through multiplayer as well, although it doesn't make any sense that he does survive, given that he's been blasted by Harbinger and then presumably fallen back to Earth from orbit...

I still can't see myself picking Control though, unless I was playing pure Renegade.

 

Synthesis is obviously shit no matter what additional info you pile onto it. I particularly like how the Catalyst says that it can't be forced, but... isn't that what you're doing regardless? It's not like the wall of green Space Magic comes up to everyone and asks if they want metal shit in their body or whatever.

I'm still against Control because you're basically validating what The Illusive Man was saying the entire game -- though if you forget that then yeah, it probably is the best ending now. Not saying all that much though.

Now that you have a clearer view of the consequences, I'm less for Destroy then I was before. Sacrificing the Geth, EDI and all synthetic life after having fought for their rights for three games feels like a huge betrayal.

The Refusal ending is... well, it completely invalidates everything you did in the game, save for Liara's little project. However, it's most in-keeping with the theme of the series up until Space Magic came into the picture.

I find it kind of hilarious, actually. You refuse Bioware's shitty endings, so they punish you by having everyone die and the next Cycle does what they wanted anyway and wins. It's so childish.

Damn it, I'd have been able to swallow Space Magic a little better if you had the option to just destroy the Reapers, no arbitrary bullshit about killing all synthetic life attached. You know, what you were supposed to be working for throughout the entire series? I mean, it'd definitely be something you'd have to earn, but it should still be there. If only Bioware hadn't decided that shoving their head up EA's ass was a fantastic idea.

All in all... the game is much better with the Extended Cut, but it's far from perfect, or even good. Now it's just mediocre I guess.

I'm still planning that rewrite fic. >_>

 

So do any of the endings have Shepard survive as a human, or just as the new Uber!Synthetic/Human "Thing"?

 

Spoiler

In a word: No.

But Control has him/her ascending to a higher state of understanding, but it'd arguable whether that entity is truly Shepard or not.

 

Spoiler

It could be argued that a Destroy ending with enough EMS (3100 I think) shows that Shepard may live. Above 5000 and it definitely implies that he lives.

 

That's the thing about the Illusive Man. He's meant to be a character that a part of you agrees with, understands to a degree, and can respect somewhat. Even though you disagree with his methods and he isn't particularly trustworthy.

Honestly, I liked him. And felt him a well put together character that didn't get the end he deserved. One of my biggest gripes about the ME3 endings.

On that subject though: I picked the Control ending First, and after watching all the others, It's still my favorite. Though the others are a big improvement over the original endings as well.

 

Spoiler

At the end of my Destruction ending, there was a very dim pan along something which could have been Shepherd, closing with him/her/it taking a deep breath. I assume it's supposed to be Shepherd, and certainly that was possible previously if you had been doing well enough in the main game and in multiplayer. Given the outcry over the best possible ending being available only to those playing online as well, it doesn't seem unreasonable that they changed that as well *shrugs*