Mass Effect 3 is nearly upon us and if you are like me, you’ve been with Commander Shepard every step of the way… You’ve made choices that you’re proud of and you’ve made some that you may regret. You’ve seen in the galaxy the desperation in organic civilization and you’ve maintained the glimmer of hope that may emerge from your actions as you reach the end game. What you don’t know is how it will all go down, just that it is inevitable. The developers at BioWare have perhaps the biggest challenge on their hands in recent memory regarding the end of Mass Effect 3… How can they possibly satisfy everyone when they’ve boasted for years that your journey as Commander Shepard is your own? What we will explore here are the potential elements that could play into the final moments of the trilogy as we discuss the pros and cons of the difficult task facing the team at BioWare.

 

 

 

One thing gamers love about Mass Effect is the weighty choices that have so elegantly been weaved together. My version of Conrad Verner is my own and I treat him the way I choose. The Rachni Queen survives in my game because I allowed it. It was not an ‘on rails’ portion of the game, nor a decision someone made for me. The Illusive Man pretty much hates my guts right now because I chose to blow up the Collector base back to holy hell. The point is that BioWare, up to this point, has made me believe that I am the one with my finger on the N7 assault rifle and they’ve done it well.

 

Ripping the element of choice from the players’ hands in the final moments of the trilogy would cheat us of our personal connection to the experience we created. I liken it to finishing an art project only to watch the teacher slap paint in the places they think we missed. Now I understand that the story must be guided carefully by BioWare’s hand, and ultimately they’ve scripted certain events that will take place, but please don’t strip me of my ability to choose… especially when it matters most.

 

 

 

What kind of world do we live in where all of our heroes must die? It seems to be a trend of late where we grow attached to particular protagonists only to see them perish in the final frame. I get it, it adds a dramatic, self-sacrificing kick to the story and it ties up the possibility of “what’s next?” pretty quickly. However, don’t put me in the boots of the galaxy’s biggest bad ass, who already survived death once, and kill him (or her) off again just to add an element of dramatic flair, like everybody else. Mass Effect has gone deeper than that outcome and BioWare has proven through two games that modern day conventional rules need not apply. I’m not suggesting that Commander Shepard CAN’T die, based on certain player decisions, all I’m suggesting is that an unavoidable death is an easy out and I hope BioWare thinks more of their fan base than to just axe our hero.