Mass Effect 3 suffered plenty of controversy from angry fans shortly after it released in March. The game itself was enjoyable, expanding on both of the previous games in positive ways. The main gist of the complaints had to do with the ending not meeting expectations. Ultimately, Bioware was doomed to fail in this aspect as the franchise was simply too well-loved and they’d created far too many variables to create an effective ending. I was enthralled enough during my first completion of the game to not notice many of its glaring flaws. Later discussion made me realize just how much was bad. As a whole I still believe its original incarnation is a great 40 hour game with a very bad last 20 minutes.
In response to the fan outcry about this terrible ending, Bioware has spent the last several months working on the Extended Cut DLC to address some of the major issues. Depending on why you hated the ending, this free add-on may or may not satisfy you. If your complaints were in regard to the glaring plot holes and complete lack of closure, enjoy your new cut scenes and your fourth option. If your complaint was that your decisions over the trilogy didn’t matter in the ending sequence, that’s still the case. I was mostly in the former camp. As for the latter, I felt your decisions were reaching conclusions throughout the game, and didn’t really need final resolution in the end credits. If you didn’t like those resolutions throughout, you still won’t. They haven’t changed. The first that comes to mind is the Rachni. You’ve made several choices about their fate over the trilogy, but their ending is basically the same no matter what you’ve done.
Unfortunately, a decent review of the added content is not possible without spoilers. There’s your warning. After the next paragraph, I’m going to ruin some things about two of the possible endings.
Spoiler-free:
This has to be brief to avoid spoilers. You won’t actually see much difference until the very end, after all essential combat is completed (Marauder quick draw sequence if that means anything to you). One major plot hole, Anderson, is still unexplained. Most of Hackett’s plot holes are filled. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than the original. You’ll probably still be disappointed. The addition of a fourth option for the end game was satisfying for me, but will surely infuriate plenty of fans. A few additional scenes add depth to the conclusion and you can feel good about your squad’s future, if not Shepard’s. Bioware has also thrown a bone to fans in their final note, acknowledging their contributions instead of advertising DLC. Is it better? Yes. Am I satisfied? No. The attempts to “fix” something I didn’t think was that bad has just made the problems remaining even more glaring. I expect to be in the minority with this opinion. Many of the complainers will still take issue, but will likely be pacified by the attempt. If you ranked the original ending as a 3/10, this is probably a 7/10. Better but still flawed. Ultimately, the strongest complaint, our choices not actually mattering, is left completely unadressed. Many unanswered questions are resolved. Others, usually appropriately, are left vague. If you want more details, read on for a recap of two possible endings.
Recap of original:
To know a little more about my Shepard, check my original (incomplete) review. In summary, Betch Shepard is true to her name, ruthless and rude. If it had an L1 icon to perform a heroic action, she ignored it. If a renegade R1 appeared, that button couldn’t get pressed fast enough. In my original ending, I was confused by the three options Catalyst Child offered. None of them seemed heroic or renegade. Everything had a cost too high to pay. I was thoroughly confused by the option on the right being presented in red, a color associated with renegade actions in the game, but showing it as the choice Anderson would have made. The blue option, normally heroic, is shown as the choice the Illusive Man would have made had he been capable. Ultimately, I chose the red destruction option based solely on color as my guiding tool. The result? Everything broke, Joker took off, a companion that should have been dead stepped off the ship with him, and credits rolled. Somewhere in there was a quick cut scene showing Shepard’s broken armor and a final gasp of breath. Apparently that only happens with the destruction choice and high enough Galactic Readiness. Post credits, a final scene featured Buzz Aldrin speaking to a child about the legendary Shepard.
The early end game:
To provide a fair review, I felt the only appropriate comparison was to make the same ending decision. I actually screwed that up at first and found what I believe to be a new, fourth, option. But more on that later. Bioware has recommended you reload a save from before your assault on the Cerberus base to get the most effect from this cut. I actually didn’t notice anything new on that mission, so I assume it’s recommended only because that is your point of no return. It is possible that the whispers I heard in Shepard’s final dream sequence were new. But, they weren’t significant and it’s just as possible they were there before and I just didn’t remember it. I also didn’t notice any changes in the first part of the final mission, attempting to destroy an AA gun. The break between that assault and the final sequence also seemed unchanged. You still have the option to have awkward conversations with your squad. Additional dialogue may have been changed in those conversations, but it simply wasn’t extensive enough for me to notice if it has. That awful, rhythm-breaking turret sequence in the middle of this is still around as well.
The late end game:
I did make one change to my play on my extended cut run. The first time, Javik and Liara accompanied Betch. This time I went with Ashley and EDI. The actual combat was unchanged. The first event I really noticed as being different was during the final run to the beam, as Harbinger is blasting the shit out of everything. In order to further clarify the ending a new cutscene was added. This shows my squadmates being severely injured and Joker coming in for the evac. Despite Ashley’s protests, I refused to let her accompany me and told her she was unfit for combat (renegade option). After Harbinger’s final blast Major Coats still states, incorrectly, that the entire squad is gone. Shepard still has a pistol I didn’t equip, but I let that slide both times as creative license. After plugging three husks and a marauder, as before, I came upon the next added scene. It’s here that we discover Hackett was informed that one soldier, specifically Shepard, made it through the beam into the Citadel. We still don’t see where the messenger got the information, but at least we’re no longer blindsided by Hackett talking to Shepard later. This is sort of a recurring theme with the extended cut. It’s like Bioware tried, but they had painted themselves so far into a corner it wasn’t even worth fixing it completely.
The next big complaint in the original ending was how Anderson possibly got to the Citadel. This is completely ignored in the extended cut. Even Hackett’s information contradicts it as he’s told only one soldier, Shepard, made it aboard. The problems with Anderson are exacerbated when Shepard meets up with him. Despite his claim that they landed in different areas and that he walked a tunnel to the control panel, there’s no other entrance to the room. This, along with a few other subtleties, indicated to me that Anderson is already dead. It seems he’s sort of Shepard’s Jiminy Cricket. I have no story basis for this idea, but it makes sense to me. Which is okay. Bioware, like a film director, is allowed to leave unanswered questions. Despite fan protestations, it is okay to think for yourself about a few things.
I noticed little to no change with the final confronation with the Illusive Man. Another complaint from the original ending is that there was no precedent for Hackett suddenly talking to Shepard. With the earlier added scene, and the scene showing the Death Star becoming the Dildo of Doom as the Citadel re-opened I felt it was much more clear. Hackett knew it was Shepard aboard, but couldn’t communicate with the Citadel closed. The conversation with the Catalyst Child seems unchanged but I felt like I understood the options a little better – both their logic and what they’ll cause. This may be due to subtle additions, or just my paying attention. For instance, it seemed clear that the synthesis option is only available because Shepard was already able to unite the races. It didn’t work in past cycles because galactic life wasn’t ready. However, the final three options are still unclear as to which is “heroic” or “renegade.”
The split – fourth option:
But, before we get to that choice, we have my accidental discovery of the fourth option. I’m calling it the “Rush” ending because of one of my favorite lines from a song: “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” [Yeah, I probably misquoted that some.] Being Betch Shepard, and taking all possible renegade choices I continually chose the dialogue in the bottom right when speaking to Catalyst Child. I was shocked when this immediately ended the game, as the prior version eventually forced a choice. In a way, I believe this to be the most appropriate ending for Betch. Unfortunately, it’s probably the only way to actually “lose” at the game. When Catalyst Child says “so be it” it reminded me of a very similar line from Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. This option results in the cycle continuing. Your only gratification is Liara’s time capsule message from way earlier in the game being played on some planet many thousands of years later. Also, the Stargazer/Child sequence post credits was altered. No more Buzz Aldrin. Instead it was a female adult speaking to a child, both of indeterminate species. Their knowledge of Shepard comes from Liara’s archive. Altogether, I liked this much more than my original ending, and possibly more than my “true” extended cut ending, though there was less to this one.
The split – first option:
Thankfully the autosave got me out of my “mistake” fairly easily. Choosing to restart the “Citadel: The Return” mission got me straight to the part where I kill three husks and a marauder again. I wouldn’t have minded starting after the stupidly long hallway, but whatever. This time, I agreed to make a choice after Catalyst Child gave me all three options. To make the most fair comparison with my original ending, I chose the first option, destruction, again. If you wondered why Joker suddenly cut and run in your original ending, there’s now a scene of Hackett ordering everyone to flee, along with some encouragement from the squad. I’m still unclear on how a guy with brittle bone disease can crash the Normandy into a planet and walk away. This is where the true essence of the extended cut begins, with some very stylish art splashes voiced over by Admiral Hackett. The gist of his message is that we are “at our strongest when we work together.” We do see the mass relays damaged, as before, but we also see that they are repairable “within a few months” according to Catalyst Child. Instead of the original ending’s questions, we get hope for the future. A very touching sequence sees the crew observing Anderson’s name in the center of the Normandy’s Memorial Wall (still missing Jack’s name despite Betch losing her in ME2‘s suicide mission). Commander Shepard’s name is also added, a bit prematurely. I still got my final gasp sequence, which I assume is still a variable. Once again, Buzz Aldrin’s Stargazer caps the credit sequence telling tales to the boy again.
The original ending was disappointing in its lack of an epilogue. It had a sort “our princess is in another castle” feel to it. Hackett’s voiceovers and the accompanying art now show a galaxy in turmoil, with plenty of obstacles, but also a unification of the species and a hope for the future. Galactic travel and interaction will begin again. The reapers are gone and the various races have only themselves to blame for further altercations. Of course, it still ignored some choices. What will happen with Krogan? The ending seems to have forgotten that I allowed the genophage’s cure to be sabotaged. Other questions about the Asari, Quarian, and Geth can be overlooked as being unanswered for a reason. But really, the fate of the Krogan will be vital if Bioware ever intends to revisit this universe.