I completely agree about it being both brilliant and jackass btw. Still; I’d rather that than have it be utterly stupid.

This isn’t the first time EA will have tried to sell an ending DLC either. Prince of Persia (the reboot game, with no subtitle, came out in 2008 I think) had an ‘epilogue’ DLC as well.

So we’ll see I guess. I just hope Bioware is smart enough to steal the IT if their own intentions were worse.

I’d read a bit about indoctrination theory but I hadn’t seen those videos yet. Very impressive stuff. They tied together a lot of bits that had been bugging me (for example, everyone ignoring the little boy at the beginning). If IT (or a similar concept) ends up being true, it’s both a brilliant and a jackass move on Bioware’s part. Give half an ending, get fans riled up, have fans look deeper into the series and keep them talking, then eventually deliver the answer. EA is known for its outrageous publicity stunts, so I wouldn’t put it past them.

Bio better not ruin this! *shakes fist* lol

I’m not sure if you’ve seen the big ol’ ‘Indoctrination Theory’ stuff or not, but I found it to be really quite compelling — whether or not it was Bioware intended.

I think there has been a growing belief lately that Bioware had no such lofty goals, but I’m still more on the fence until we see that the ‘extended ending’ DLC they are going to release definitively disproves it.

Take a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZOyeFvnhiI and see what you think in any case. I found some of the earlier reasons to be less than convincing, but some of the later ones made me :O, particularly the eyes! the eeyyeees! *rocks back and forth*

I really, really liked Mass Effect 1′s ending. It was pleasant to digest and I took time to enjoy it before moving on to the second game. Mass Effect 2 did leave me a bit on my hunger and, had I played it when it first came out, I probably would have been a little frustrated. I wanted some more character interaction at the end and the whole “lets tell off TIM and go home!” felt a little rushed. But since Mass Effect 3 was downloading to my computer as I wrapped things up, I didn’t mind. I appreciated the simple straightforwardness of it and I definitely liked it better than ME3′s.

A day later, I’m not sure how I feel. Instead of contemplating my characters and their story, I spent my post-ME3 evening listening to podcasts, watching videos, reading articles and forum posts, finding comfort in other players who shared my reactions. I know Bioware is planning a DLC with some extra ending stuff, but I’m thinking that it’s too late. The magic is dead and it would take something exceptional to revive it. Based on what’s being “leaked” about the extended cut, I’m not hopeful. I’ll still play the game (in fact, I played the end sequence again twice tonight, in the name of science) but that obsession I had, that’s gone. But on the bright side, it’s much easier to let go of the story and bring my mind back to the real world this way.

I found this parody of the Mass Effect ending last night, it’s too funny not to share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy0kAfzKA8I