Hey all! I was gonna make a post about this, but then I realized it would make more sense to pin a comment here! There is a small chunk of the final scene, about 2 minutes long, where I'm completely ragging on the Control choice as I walked forward. For some reason the mic was off at that moment. However, you guys didn't miss anything but me saying how the control option was what TIM wanted and it would be cruel to sacrifice Shep just to keep the Reapers around (and have Shep be aware of her previous life? It was an odd option to even have). There is also a little more on Sythethsis and why I felt it was wrong to merge Organic/Synthetic life because it takes away what makes both unique. I should have kept the clip in and voiced over it, but the audio was dead so I removed it!
No worries ! As for my comment : I hate the destruction choice T_T. It makes you destroy all that is preserved from thousands upon thousands of civilizations just for a peace that won't last... Without even talking about the loss of EDI/geth (You should watch the other endings just to see the differences). And Btw, I'm not saying you shouldn't have chosen desctruction, your playthrough, your choice, your ending, and that's the beauty of it :) Edit: Do not pay attention to the suggestion of watching the other endings, I just saw your community post about you planning to do it eventually...
You missed a fourth option: You can reject all three options the catalyst gives you (by rejecting all options it gives you during the dialogue or by simply shooting it). Personally, I prefer this ending to the other three.
Synthesis was also what Saren wanted, don't forget that. Also, you should check what was the 4th option about, and end with all your "doubs". Destroy was the only way to stop the Reaper treat, great playthru, commander, congrats👍
I completely agree with you. I choose synthesis on my first playthrough and it's just give me a weird aftertaste after finishing the game, it's the most ridiculous among all three endings. I just can't keep the repears around, not after what they've done to the galaxy and to the other previous cycles. Ended up choosing destroy for most of my other playthroughs. Destroy is the most realistic ending. Control was better than synthesis imo. Control can be better than destroy if only they show AI shepard just completely self destruct all the reapers after they finished repairing the whole galaxy lol🤣🤣🤣🤣 Then everybody is saved and satisfied. Reapers need to go no matter what. Imagine forgiving millions years of galatic genocide and accept them among us
@@whitejack9032 The most boring predictable ending (basically a galactic emp/Javik ending) and that organics will just create A.I. again and the cycle will repeat. See here: 1:57:10
@@SomeStupidGuy249 And now we finally know, that there is going to be me4. But I'm more afraid than hype tbh, 😬 but I want to believe, it is going to be good...
Just want to say, thank you so much for doing this series. Watching you go through and react to these games has been an absolute treat. You've shown me a good deal of content that I've somehow missed over multiple playthoughs. But more importantly, you've entertained and delighted me with your earnest reactions, uncanny instincts, and frank sense of humor. Can't wait to see what content you have in store for the future, and how far this channel will go.
How fitting that you finish the series on N7 Day! I feel like your opinion on ME3 is spot on. For some, the "ending" wasn't as satisfying, but little were they aware, that the entire game is one giant conclusion to the series. Everyone should see ME3 as the long journey to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed watching your playthroughs, your takes on various decisions, and I'm so grateful that you shared the experience with us! Happy N7 Day!
Indeed. The ending is a bit disappointing but the last 10 minutes of this game has never made me stop loving ME3 (especially after picking the destroy option and not the synthesis option which I did the first time I played).
Was wondering if you’d release the finale on N7 day! Thank you SO much for this playthrough. You did absolutely amazing and we all can’t appreciate you enough for giving this series the appreciation and attention it deserves. Cheers! 🥂
Gotta love the irony of Cynthetic destroying all synthetics That said, really enjoyed the crap out of watching you go through my favorite game series from A to Z, seeing all your reactions to so many amazing, dramatic, hilarious and epic moments! Thanks for all the awesome footage :)
@@romanjancura9651 I still remember playing the original ending when the game first came out and my reaction when the credits rolled was "That's it??". The ending has been improved obviously, but it's still not perfect. I just let it not take away from the great experience of the trilogy.
Never really understood how can someone expect a happy rainbows and ponies ending to a game where slavers and kidnappings, drog abuse, murder and overall villany is everyday stuff. It never was a bright universe and expecting to have a happy ending without serious sacrifices is just weird to me. The writer team at Bioware balanced the darkness perfectly with humor and the personalities so it doesn't turn into an edgy angstfest (thank the Goddess I'd hate that), but the overall tone was set from the beginning with Shepard's background choices... As the years pass since the original release I think more and more that the ending was perfect. Becouse none of them was a perfect choice, all had issues and problems within, and invoke dicussion and argument (not whine!). About morality, about the nature of life, and the developement of a species... and that what good sci-fi does.
The scene when all the fleets enter the Sol relay still gives me goosebumps and it's like the 987th time I've watched it. P.S. Thoroughly enjoyed your playthrough, Cynthia. It was lot a of fun.
If you're military strength hadn't been high enough, Liara would have put Shepherd's name on that monument and you wouldn't have gotten that last scene.
Actually that is a LE change. I played through the original atleast 15 times and those are the ones I have counted. And back then the Love interest would always but sheps name on it. I strongly suspect that is a change because of the new Mass Effect. After the teaser it is pretty clear sheps coming back after the andromeda backlash and showing them not putting the name on the memorial gives the players a sense of the crew not believing in sheps death and starting a search. Good setup.
@@identity7536 "Actually that is a LE change." No it's not. It was added with the Extended Cut ending DLC that released shortly after the original release (as before Extended Cut, there was no scene of the Crew adding Shepard's name to the wall). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-suPMzHzcLkc.html - Here's proof, the Extended Destroy Ending in the original ME3. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6AdWqlsQjWo.html - Here's the non Extended Cut Destroy ending for comparison.
also a couple of the images showing off the former squadmates can have some difference Jack is either teaching the students or standing at their graves if you sent them to the front Kasumi can be reunited with her boyfriend in the systhsis (Alt) ending and more
@@identity7536 You're in for a major disappointment then with the next ME if that's what you think. I would be EXTREMELY surprised if Shepard features as anything more than a flashback or memory or the like, if that. They've concluded her story, pretty clearly, and they've painted themselves into a corner with the fact that Shepard possibly (not even 100 % guaranteed) survives only to people with high enough war assets. That means, for a lot of people, there was never any indication Shepard was still alive and that entire bonus scene "rewarding" your high war assets would be rendered pointless if Shepard was then shown to still be alive in a new game (as anything more than a small bonus memory/flashback scene or something). I would bet actual money against any significant role for Shepard, not because I want that to happen but because it is so exceptionally unlikely. It seems quite clear that the game is set in the future, a future that of course Liara could still be alive for because of her long lifespan, and the teaser also clearly hints at destroy being the canonical ending. So yes, we could MAYBE then get some flashback scenes of Shepard interacting with Liara post-destruction of the reapers, but Sheps story is so obviously concluded and as much as I love her (and I REALLY do, like unhealthily much lol) it would probably be for the best they move in some other direction with the story (maybe a Shep-Liara child? That would be more believable). At the end of the day, a teaser is a teaser and it will probably be 5+ years before the game comes out so any speculation is...shaky, to be honest
Also, one of the things I loved most about watching this whole series has been your incredible story instincts, predicting so much stuff way before it happens, noticing all the little fun stuff :)
It has been by far the best playthrough I have watched. Really, by far. Congratulations! Top three moments: 3. Grunt belived dead but not 2. Realisation that Mordin broke Omega's only rule 1. Of course, Mordin's sacrifice.
Congratulations on finishing the trilogy and thank you so much for the playthrough! Even better since you got the Destroy ending variant that shows Shepard surviving! This has been a really fun journey and yours has by far been one of the more fun to watch! I do love how you debated on the moral issues of all the endings involved rather than quickly snapping to one decision only. Personally, my preferred ending is Control, primarily because it is the only ending that did not render any of your past decisions null and void (Destroy made siding with the geth/making peace between the geth and the quarians utterly pointless. Same goes for Legion's sacrifice and your friendship with EDI, plus her starting a relationship with Joker. Synthesis made sabotaging the genophage cure pointless if you go that route) and the idea of benevolent Reapers (if Paragon) is just a fascinating concept for me. There are more reasons of course but those are the main ones. Still, I won't deny that Destroy is the safest choice and very popular for good reason. I do agree with you though that all those choices sucks.
@@Noviomagus024 How exactly? People keep saying that and some even say Synthesis is the Reapers winning but no one ever really elaborated. The goal of the Reapers, or at least the Catalyst, was to preserve all life and stop the conflict between organics and synthetics. Wouldn't the Reapers win in all endings then, especially Synthesis?
@@LoneWolfHBS It’s the age old argument that x group wanted y then y is bad. The Reapers are the flawed creation of a flawed being made by flawed morons with a flawed solution. Without knowing that everyone's answer to the Reapers is to fight because they can't see any other option to avoid extinction, but the creation of the crucible changes the playing field, the equation is changed and neither side has to be destroyed. The Catalyst and the player both have options now other than destroy. And a major part of Mass Effect from 1 has been finding new solutions to existing problems. And each ending, save refusal, reflects that change. Destroy, the equation is reset to zero, the Reaper, Catalyst and synthetics are destroyed, but the galaxy paid a heavy price for it. Hopefully that price means organics will be more accepting of the next generation of synthetics and finally break the cycle of conflict. The technology of the Reapers is gone, but the foundation they left remains for everyone else to build a new future. Control, the equation is re-evaluated, and the Catalyst who reached the flawed conclusion is replaced by a new intelligence that can use the accumulated knowledge of the Reapers and the extraordinary abilities of someone who achieved impossible goals in unconventional ways, and that intelligence can now guide the future generations to avoid their mistakes. Synthesis, the equation is completely rewritten, and the core flaws are hopefully corrected once and for all. Organics are changed in ways that the mistakes of the past are hopefully gone and that the future now holds unlimited potential for both organics and synthetics, and without the cycle being needed the Catalyst can redirect the Reapers to helping them instead of harvesting them.
@@Riku-zv5dk Now this explanation, I can get behind rather than the standard "Destroy is the only good ending!", "Indoctrination Theory" or "The Reapers win if you pick Control/Synthesis!". The choices given really suck when you get right down to it but it has enough nuances that not one of the ending is "correct" in any way. Control may be my preferred ending but I can see the benefits of the others. Destroy, however, reminds me too much of what Ashley said in regards to aliens looking out for themselves; particularly that a human would ultimately look out for a fellow human rather than a dog if both are in trouble. By choosing to sacrifice EDI and the geth to save everyone else, you're kinda proving her right by putting synthetic lifeforms after organic life, especially when you're given multiple solutions to the same problem. And no, I'm not condemning Cyn for choosing Destroy. In fact, I love that she thought about the consequences of her choice of ending and went with it anyway.
@@LoneWolfHBS I'm not condemning Cyn either. And I can tell you, I am over the Destroy shilling, the option itself I don't have a problem with, but certain people who have convinced themselves that it is the only viable option and have made wild ass theories to justify it and then badger everyone else that it is canon. When I first played ME I made the same choice as Cyn with a lot less thought, but as I changed and replayed the game, my outlook changed, and I put some serious thought into each ending. I eventually found Destroy to be a bit of a cynical ending, rejecting new possibilities, sacrificing Synthetic life, and choosing a past that no longer exists, and I've moved past all that in my life. So for me, Destroy is only an option for me when it is the only option. Then there is Control, I don't like responsibility, and I quite despise myself, so putting the most powerful beings under my control seems like a bad option to me, so I can't choose it. That leaves Synthesis, which fits my ideals in life the most, it gives life to synthetics, makes organics syntho-organic, and unlocks so many possibilities that anything seems possible, plus its hopeful. When people say an ending is too hopeful, it honestly leaves me flabbergasted, what is the point of going through hell if the world isn't fundamentally made better then what it was? So Synthesis is the path forward for me, though I will not chastise anyone who picks the other two, I will chastise someone who says I was wrong to make my choice, or that refusal is somehow a good ending. If you made it this far, thank you for reading my impromptu rant, I have poor self control on these matters. If you enjoyed it, why thank you, next week my rant will be about how Dragon Age is a good series to replace Mass Effect with in Let's Play order.
@@Riku-zv5dk That's really the same for me. I played the trilogy when I was much younger and had a much different grasp of morality and philosophy so I made choices that is quite on a whim half the time. And back then, I picked Synthesis often because I thought "more points = better ending". Now that I'm older and replaying via Legendary Edition, a lot of my choices are different, more thought out and most importantly, properly roleplayed so my Shepard's decisions are consistent with the character I chose to play as. And similar to your reasoning, only my most selfish, cynical, anti-change or xenophobic Shepards will pick Destroy. My more open-minded, idealistic and progressive Shepards will pick Control and the brave, most open-to-change ones will pick Synthesis. And don't worry. I don't think less of you for what you consider to be the best ending in the game. In fact, though I am sick of the constant shilling over Destroy, I can respect anyone who likes Destroy despite it being my least favourite of the 3 as long as they don't condemn me for preferring Control.
Let’s have a moment of silence for the true hero of the game. His name first was Marauder Shields Then it was Marauder Health He sacrificed himself trying to save us all from the bad ending.
Started watching your videos a couple of weeks ago. So cool to see a new fan become so engrossed in the Mass Effect universe, It’s amazing that these games can make you feel. 😊
Been here since your first episode - so glad the algorithm suggested it! Enjoyed all the episodes, can't wait to see where you go from here :) Congrats!
Thankyou so much for these videos. I never really watch playthroughs, but Mass Effect had such a profound effect on me that watching someone go through it all blind was a real joy. I can't believe I'm still crying over this game after all this time.
Absolutely loved watching your playthrough. I only showed up when I saw your ME3 playthrough, but I'm gonna go and watch from ME1 now. Seeing your struggle and choose your ending brought me back to when I first completed the trilogy as well. My thought process followed a similar path to yours. (And you got what is usually widely considered to be the best of all the endings) Thank you so much for bringing us along on your journey through the Mass Effect Universe
Thanks for this series. I subscribed to your channel when you posted the third or fourth episode and your playthrough is easily one of the most entertaining I've seen. Looking forward to your other videos.
A brilliant playthrough Cyn - your way of playing is extremely entertaining not just because of your sense of humour (Dadmiral caught me SO off guard), but because of how much attention and effort you put towards seeing every detail. Very excited to watch what comes next. I believe the saying goes 'came for Mass Effect, stayed because of Cynthetic'!
Like many others, I wanted to share my thanks for your playthrough! I discovered your channel when I watched your ME4/5 trailer reaction, your insight was outstanding so I watched your first ME1 video and was hooked! I'm an older gamer and have never gotten into watching someone else play a video game--this was my first! ha! It was such a joy to watch you fall in love with a game that myself and others love so much! Your understanding of story, insight, and humor was what drew me in. Great work, hope you continue to be successful in your endeavors!
What a journey! Have watched every episode apart from the first few in ME1. This is my favourite trilogy of all time and ME3 one of my favourite games ever…. and your playthroughs really did them justice. So a big thank you to you Cyn! Simply awesome. Look forward to continuing to watch your other playthroughs. And congrats on getting the best (and prob canon) ending.
It's been the hell of a ride! I enjoyed your playthrough SO MUCH. Mass Effect trilogy has a special place in the heart of those of us who get to play it.
All these years and playthroughs later, I still cry at the end. Well done! Great run! Fantastic entertainment! Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Been a helluva ride. I remember playing the trilogy over the years. Was amazing watching you fall in love with the series! Can't wait to watch your next games
I often wish I could forget this trilogy so I can experience it for the first time again, but following you on your journey is probably the closest I can get to that. Congrats on finishing it and thanks for letting us join you :D
Awesome, amazing epic playthrough!! Thank you for the past few months, loved every minute of it! Best if luck with new PC setup and all, now there won't be as much shore leave!!!
Sad to see the series end! This has been one of my favorite ME trilogy playthroughs, Cyndi. The way you just devoured everything the series offered... read everything, went everywhere, and listened to everything that the characters had to say... is a ME fan's dream. I really hope you've enjoyed the experience. It's unique to this day.
Thank you for the ME 1/2/3 journey. I have played them many time's and will again. So i have loved watching your journey as Shep. Thanks again and Happy N7 Day to you to.
Iv watched since the very beginning and the ride has been awesome. Mass effect series is my all time favorite series and I’m glad you loved it as much as I did. Can’t wait to see your reaction to Mass Effect 4 trailer and Andromeda.
Cynthia, of all the Mass Effect streams, I think yours may have been the best. It's been a pleasure going down this road with you. For now, I should go, but mam, know you have a subscriber for life
Good on you for picking the ending you felt right, I just picked Synthesis because that is what you need the most military score to unlock so figured it was the "true" ending.
I very rarely comment on videos, but I just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching your playthrough of the mass effect games. It's been many years since I played this trilogy (I guess 8-9 years ago now, when I was in my late teens / early twenties) but watching this has certainly rekindled my interest in the series, and brought back so many memories (both fond and sad) for me. I must say that your analytical way of thinking and, sometimes scarily clairvoyant-like, predictions during the playthrough were fascinating --- I look forward to seeing your future let's plays! I never did get round to playing Andromeda either, so it will be interesting to see the events of that for the first time for myself, if you end up playing that too. Cheers!
This has definitely been one of my favorite LE playthroughs. I've enjoyed it so much, and seeing you get it right time and time again was amazing. I guess I'll never be able to play Mass Effect for the first time again, but seeing you do it, enjoy it and go through every emotion comes pretty close. I have a feeling we have one more story about the Shepard that'll be told, and I'd love to see your take on it once Mass Effect 4 launches.
I honestly found you quite by accident but I watched a few episodes and loved your genuine reactions throughout all the games! Quite fitting you ended the series on N7 Day too! You did such an awesome job with the trilogy! I hope you have many more playthroughs of it to see what you may have missed your first time around. Can't wait to see what you have in store in the future! Keep up the awesome work!
Thank you for the journey and congratulations, Commander. You made many choices different to any I've made in my many play-thrus, so it was enjoyable watching you take the roads untaken. I should go.
oh wow, the final video already :o I wasn't ready for this. Going to watch the whole thing after work. Congratulations on finishing the Trilogy!! It has been a ride eh ;)
"Everything I've done in this game comes down to 3 choices?" (There was a 4th choice if you shoot the kid then you reject those choices and the battle continues, you lose but Liara's data box survives to help the next cycle defeat the Reapers) Now you know why there's so much controversy regarding the ending to the trilogy. It was much worse for us 9 years ago it was basically pick an ending show the Crucible firing and then roll credits, they've since added content to the ending cut-scene and the Leviathan DLC helps add lore to what the catalyst was saying.
Thanks for uploading this series. I didn't want to play again myself but I was looking forward to seeing someone else experience it for the first time with Legendary edition. Happy to hear you intend to continue with more Bioware stuff.
Yay! Great B-Day present for me (my birthday is 11/7). Thank you so much for playing the whole series through. I can't tell you how much of a joy it has been to watch someone else experience this phenomenal gaming experience for the first time. Through your playthrough I got to laugh and cry through all these great moments in the trilogy. I am so glad that I came across your channel and look forward to future playthroughs.
People who had great experiences in the past by playing the ME trilogy may assume that convincing younger individuals to give a chance to an old franchise might be a challenge. And here I am, witnessing how you went through the LE, which feels great for so many reasons. You are not just a generation younger than I am, but you also statue a great example for female players which the gaming community really needs. I never anticipated that ME would come back to our lives, especially in a way which connects generations of players together. I loved to see how you went through your ups and downs during your playthrough and I often found myself rather looking at your reactions while smiling or fighting with my tears together with you. Thank you for your hard-work and dedicaition! Keep up the good work and hopefully, we will see some cool playthroughs from you when the new ME comes out!
Damn what a ride! I really enjoyed your play through. Seeing you experience every iconic moment in the game reminded me of how I felt playing the trilogy years ago. Now if I can just assemble a team that’s as tight as the Normandy crew haha
Wow, loved your play through, its was great. ME3 was always my favourite of the 3 games. I know the ending was not the best when it first came out ( and that's probably an understatement). However, the journey there, curing the genohage (or not), the Quarian/Geth conflict are the best things ever in videos games (in my humble opinion). I very rarely cry in real life, however when Mordin dies I am a wreck. And that just highlights why the Mass Effect series is so good. Thank you again for a wonderful play through. I am so glad you loved it as much as us fans do.
I've enjoyed watching an intelligent, thoughtful and very good gamer play through this series (I stole a couple of your techniques - my ME3 with infiltrator+shotguns+prox mine was getting old, a vestige from the MP days when a Geth char could just chew through things as a glass cannon in Gold). You really dug in deep to the story and the characters. Mordin was the most painful character for me to lose. I replay just to experience these characters again. Keep sharing new content and great timing on N7 day!
This was a absolutely phenomenal and incredible playthrough Cyn. Truly enjoyed watching your amazing gameplay and journey through mass effect. What a fantastic and emotional ending. As always keep being awesome
Thank you for sharing your experience of commanding Shepard. Welcome to the N7 club . Fly safe :) Edit: You did a wonderful summary of the game and your personal feelings where wonderful to see I have replayed Mass Effect multiple times and it´s safe to say I will choke up every time I finish a run.
Thank you for this playthrough, it has been Legendary, just like the game. Good luck with the channel and I am looking forward to your future playthroughs! Happy N7 day!
Your sniper skills are so enjoyable. Watching a playthrough with a reaction was good enough. But seeing how you handle yourself with your exceptional sniping skills is more than rewarding to watch. I have never seen anyone so skilled playing ME.
Thanks lady, I totally love the playthrough. In my opinion, what makes your playthrough so enjoyable is your thoughtful commentaries. Such as that synthesis feels too perfect, what's the meaning of life without a challenge, that's a perspective I never thought of. I look forward to you playing ME:Andromeda, which I really like, and sharing more of your enlightening thoughts. PS: if no one has told you yet, sorry to inform you that EDI's on the board, upper left hand corner.
Cyn, great choice in bringing Garrus and Liara for the final run. Congrats for that awesome war assets total. Good thing you were friends with Cortez and helped him get over his loss. The outcome of that drop off is different otherwise. I recently pulled up my old me3 run from years and years ago and my fem shepard had the same color armor.
Fantastic play through. Some of your commentary was brilliant."I'm Kai Leng and I can punch the ground." Well played. Your War assets total was huge, nice work. And props for going with the ending you wanted. Thanks for sharing this with us. Just watched it again, your reaction to Shep taking that breath was magical.
Well done! It was a pleasure to follow your entire journey with Mass Effect. I have played many times but each time they are unique emotions! Obviously, if you reload the last save you have the opportunity to see the consequences of the other choices. I agree with you synthesis seems too perfect, but also look at it because in this case there is no Hackett as narrator but another character. And even in this there are a lot of emotions. Thanks!
I have been here for every episode since me1. The entire playthrough was very fun to watch and I can’t wait to see the next game you play. Got and gow both have amazing stories too so I think you might really start to like them as you progress.
Back when the game released, the ending was more unsatisfying and fans made sure Bioware made changes, or atleast add on to what happened. The Legendary Edition atleast has the endings all added in. Consensus was during the time of the first game that Destroying was the better choice, though it does destroy ALL synthetics. In my playthrough, I didn't have the heart to kill EDI nor the work and efforts Legion put in and sacrificing for so I went middle for Synthesis :P But either way, Good Job on the playthrough, hopefully you understand why the Mass Effect Trilogy was such an Epic or in this case "Legendary" series. I also felt, that Mass Effect ended with 3, so the game after 3 *ehem* *andromeda* I don't consider part of it but more a stand alone. Maybe the teased new Mass Effect will be a continuation to what we had with the trilogy.
Thanks, Cyn. This playthrough was like watching your favorite movie with a friend who's never seen it before. Your enjoyment brought back my own from my first playthrough, as I'm sure is true for many other ME veterans. As for the endings, I have to say I expected something like them. Difficult choices, all of them unsatisfactory in different ways. It just appeared to me that the team ran out of time, money and especially creative energy after so long on one project.. There are a number of first playthroughs of the trilogy on YT at the minute. This is by some distance the best. Keelah se'lai.
You picked the right one out of the 3. I prescribe to Indoctrination Theory (it makes a better story than the actual ending), meaning the Control ending is basically the Reapers convincing you to commit suicide via electrocution, and the Synthesis ending makes you all tools for the Reapers Saren style (bio-synthetic hybrid always ends up that way). At least in the Destroy ending you completely the Mission you started in Mass Effect 1 as you always intended. To quote Admiral Hackett “Dead Reapers is how we win this.”
The fact that these options even resemble the ideals of these villains from the past games baffles me, how some players couldn't see it? choosing either of them is just proving them right. it has been consistent that destroying them was the choice since the first ME came out. It's beyond me that some think otherwise, the ME universe is a dark one, so a scientific handwave hubba gubba isn't the solution. this isn't a fairytale.
It has been an absolute blast following you on your Mass Effect journey. The dry commentary, predictive dialogue and yes, the handful of game glitches like Shepard kissing an invisible Liara definitely were part of the fun. The number of expressions that crossed your face during the last moments of the confrontation with TIM was priceless. I've played through the trilogy a few times and ME3 hasn't ceased to get me teary-eyed yet. I'm glad you realized how great ME3 is, despite the iffy ending. I was there and played it when it first came out. Back then there was no Hackett VO wrap-up, it just cut to credits after a couple crew members came out of the crash-landed Normandy so the hate was much more potent against the game. At the time I was disappointed with the ending but didn't let the last 15 minutes ruin the otherwise amazing game. One last thought: the amount of times in this game the Normandy is just hovering next to a Reaper and isn't shot down just blows my mind. It may only be two, but it's right at the beginning and right near the end so it seems like a lot.
In Mass Effect 2, the ship got a Reaper IFF installed. In Mass Effect 3, EDI explains how it works and how EDI needs to rotate and mix phrases from a long list of Reaper identification phrases to be perceived as a Reaper. EDI's hardware, the AI core ("blue box") and her software is Reaper technology which was salvaged from the wreck of Sovereign. This is the reason the "destroy" ending kills EDI.
"...And you think to yourself 'What am I gonna do for the rest of my life?'" Haha yeah that's why we watch these! Thanks so much for the wonderful videos and sharing your experience!
You perfectly encapsulated the silliness of the ending with your comments about all the work you did with EDI and the Geth. Across three games you proved that synthetics can grow and adapt and live peacefully among organics, but at the end here's the game telling you that something you've already accomplished isn't possible.
