Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut Community Thread – Spill Your Feels

Well it’s here!  Love it or hate it, the fabled Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is upon us.  Please use this *SPOILER* filled thread to spill your guts and let other members of the community know exactly how you feel about of Bioware’s latest DLC once you’re done. Don’t hold back! We want your keyboards to short circuit from the deluge of tears.  As always, be excellent to each other.

Note: As this was posted my Extended Cut DLC was still in the process of downloading. As soon as I’m done I’ll let you know the skinny.

Posted in Games on Saturday May 25, 2013. Read More About , , , , , , , .

Ash is an editor on Nerd Appropriate. Check out the other 580 articles by Ash on our site.

    • http://NerdAppropriate.com/ Ash

      Currently in the boonies downloading the file at agonizingly slow speeds. Can’t wait to check this out.

    • http://nerdappropriate.com/ Scott

      I’m a little unclear as to why players are to start from the attack on the Cerberus base, perhaps other than the fact that the game puts you there after you beat it.

      Anyhow, I enjoyed what I saw, and further reinforced my backing for the decision I made. I look forward to future adventures in the mass effect universe… like kart racing. Hah.

      PS. The EC makes the Control ending pretty spectacular compared to the way I previously perceived it, but that’s not my ending…

      • http://twitter.com/Dibol1987 Laurence Kone

        The Cerberus base is the point of no return because of the War Asset calculations. As it is, the EC DLC made the addendum that you only need 3100 EMS to get the “Shepard breathing” ending instead of the original 4000, or 5000, considering BioWare screwed up the first time around, hence my multiple rants about the “Mandatory MP for best ending.”

    • http://twitter.com/THEquadskater Melissa K.

      I stood by my choice to “Destroy” those sons of bitches. Overall very pleased with how it all turned out. I feel most of my questions/confusions have been cleared up with the added content, and got the send off the game deserved. I’m still very sad that the trilogy is over, essentially, and it’s hard to say goodbye. But in the end I feel like it’s come to a resolution and it is okay to mourn and move on. IM SO DRAMATIC AND FULL OF FEELS HERE’S A GIF
      http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4jntqKqWM1rpu4wx.gif

      It’s too bad they didn’t give us this the first time round but I’m glad that they put in the extra hard work to appease the fans. I feel like there isn’t really much that anyone can justify complaining about at this point. Crossing my fingers for some future, non-MP DLC!

      • http://NerdAppropriate.com/ Ash

        I agree. It’s very hard to say goodbye, but I really enjoyed how many loose ends were tied up with the EC DLC. Well done Bioware!

    • http://NerdAppropriate.com/ Ash

      Finally got a change to finish up the EC DLC and was damn happy with what was done. Almost every question I had following the original ending was answered with this DLC. My favorite part of the DLC was seeing the aftermath of invasion, as well as the crew of the Normandy following the events on the Crucible (which is what I really wanted). There are still a few things I would have loved to have seen, like Aria’s mercenary fleet, the Rachni in action against the Reapers, and Wrex leading the Krogan into battle on Earth, but I feel like they did a stellar job overall.
      Oh yeah, my Shepard still took a breath at the end of the game and her name was never placed on the death board… I didn’t catch if EDI made it through the “destroy” option this time though.

      • Bill

        I agree, the only other things I would have really liked to see were the whole of my galactic force bringing the hurt to the reapers…show some Krogan headbutting a maruader, some Rachni taking down a Brute and the Geth mowing through some cannibals with machine-like precision!

    • Fluidfyre

      I’m very pleased with it. Sure it put me in tears again, but kind of a sweet sorrow – not gross sobbing heart-breaking ones. I think they addressed a lot of what people were WTF TABLEFLIP about, and it leaves me with GOOD questions and speculation about where the galaxy and story universe will go. I stuck by Destroy ending for this go, I’ll make it through the other two in time. My little sis says they’re all quite diff though and I trust her judgement – can’t wait to play them more!

      And OMG were those baby krogan a fan-service or what?? Really, all of this was. I am very relieved to see what was added to it, I feel like it expanded the story – kept it heart-felt, kept it connected, kept you and your crew together.

      Want to go sit and look at the stars now.

      • http://NerdAppropriate.com/ Ash

        I couldn’t agree with you more. I actually feel motivated to finish up my other playthroughs now that the EC is complete. It just left a better taste in my mouth.

        • Fluidfyre

          That only sounds a little dirty.

    • http://twitter.com/pL4tiNumfi5t Carlo

      I made the mistake of taking a little citadel pop at the holographic Starchild, which I may or may have not done the first play through (*spoiler*: I did), however this time it had repercussions. There managed to be a horrible ending even shorter than those before the extended cut. After initial disappointment, I reloaded and went with my first choice of destruction. Overall, I am quite happy with the additions. Would it have been cool if they also touched on the whole Indoctrination Theory? Yes, but the ending I received made a few things more clear and brought some better closure to the whole experience. Although I didn’t necessarily hate the original endings, I wish the EC content had been included at launch. It probably would have had more impact if I hadn’t stepped away from the singleplayer story for a couple months. That being said, happy Bioware acknowledged the fan reaction & always looking forward to future content in the Mass Effect universe.

    • http://nerdappropriate.com/ Scott

      [Spoilerful] I have a psychological hypothesis that people who feel very connected with these characters, specifically their Shep, chose Destroy because it offers the possibility that s/he is still alive, and thus one does not truly need to say goodbye to the character. Clearly, death is the outcome in Synthesis, although the Control option seems a little more open to interpretation with the EC content.

      • http://twitter.com/THEquadskater Melissa K.

        To be honest I thought the synthesis ending was really cool, and would be my second choice after destroy. Also, like you said, it alludes to the fact that Shep might still be alive and that the crew will go looking for then. In the end, like my first playthrough I chose destroy simply because that’s what I felt the goal was since the very beginning. Staying true to the mission and oneself, destroy baby!

        • http://nerdappropriate.com/ Scott

          Indeed. As a BSG fan I was excited to hear Tricia Helfer narrate the synthesis ending. Honestly, I think all of the endings are great now, but I just can’t get behind Destroy for whatever reason. But that’s the beauty of telling your own story and crafting your own Shep.

    • http://twitter.com/ArcanaLegacy Cookie Colon

      I have no problems really with the EC. I rather enjoyed it. The nice extra scenes with the LI [Love Interest] were some i didnt expect – but it just made the dlc that much sweeter and heart breaking. I always choose the destroy option before and went with it again. I dont trust that godchild. I always shot him in the past before limping my way to the destroy option. I did it again the first time I downloaded the EC, and next thing i know – the godchild goes all “harbinger-like” tone of voice saying “So be it. The cycles will continue.” I IMMEDIATELY reload XD I didnt even let the next cutscene start. Who knew bioware decided to add a consequence for shooting that child. Bioware trolling at its finest. Heh. Anyways, yes the destroy option is the one I choose. And now hearing for what the godchild REALLY is, Im not allowing it the reapers to live. The whole series was to get rid of the reapers – that wont change. Regardless, the EC brought more light to each decision, which I thought was a great thing. Remembering 3 certain people as you make your decision made it also abit more personal, which if your shep had an LI, would show up. The memorial scene was probably the most heart breaking apart from the “extraction scene”. You can see there’s alot of care there that the crew had for Shepard. I like that Bioware showcased the fate of the galaxy in more depth this time around.
      Now, with all that said – I only have ONE gripe. The scene where Shepard is alive. I had received this before, and now again in the EC. The memorial wall scene is altered if Shepard is alive, whereas the LI [or just someone in the crew] DOESNT put the plaque on the wall, realizing that Shepard could very well be alive. Then they take off – and cue the shepard alive clip. End.
      …..Huh? Why not add a reunion scene if its so implied? Even Bioware stated that the crew “presumably” goes to find Shepard. I feel like thats the only loose end that needs to be tied up. Its almost like some piece thats just left out :( And judging from the Bioware Forums – thats the only thing that seems to be in agreement to what was missing. Bioware keeps hinting at something.
      TullyAckland wrote: [via Bioware Social Network]
      “One of the goals for the Extended Cut, as part of addressing player feedback,
      was to provide more time with the love interest, and more opportunity for
      players to say goodbye to them and provide additional moments of connection
      between them. We did this in several ways:

      -Shepard can now actually say
      goodbye to the love interest when they are split up at the conduit run.
      When
      Shepard sees flashbacks of important characters during the final decision, the
      flashbacks are now variable based on your playthrough – so your love interest
      can appear as one of the flashbacks, providing another moment of reflection
      between Shepard and that character.
      -A memorial scene was added, partly to
      show a close bond between Shepard and the love interest. The scene is variable,
      and if Shepard has a love interest in a given playthrough, it will be that
      character who places Shepard’s name on the memorial wall.
      -You may notice that
      in the “Shepard lives” ending, the love interest hesitates to place Shepard’s
      name on the wall, and instead looks up as though deep in thought. This is meant
      to suggest that the love interest is not ready to believe Shepard is dead, and
      the final scene reveals they are correct. As the Normandy lifts off, there is
      hope that the love interest and Shepard will again be together.”
      The last part…..”there is hope that the love interest and Shepard will again be together.”….DO IT BIOWARE! DO IT! XP

      • http://twitter.com/NerdAppropriate Nerd Appropriate

        Great response! While I think most of us would love to see Shepard back in action, I think it’s nearly impossible from a storytelling perspective (although.. is anything really impossible in storytelling?). I think the franchise future will be with a whole new protagonist and crew rebuilding the pieces of the great war.

      • bill

        wouldn’t that make some great DLC! your crew comes to find you ( while possibly fighting of some still entrenched cerberus agents), then you help to rebuild. The destroy ending even includes a line mentioning that all the synthetics that are destroyed can be rebuilt, so why not go on some missions to help rebuild EDI and the Geth ( I miss Legion…).

    • Pingback: Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut: Assuming Direct Control

    • http://twitter.com/Dibol1987 Laurence Kone

      Yes…. The EC DLC that only fills in literally 10% of the “Widely diverging endings.” Almost there, but missed the mark. I shouldn’t have to headcanon Shepard’s reunion with the squad if I picked the “Good Destroy” ending. As it is, I’m not even finishing Mass Effect 3. Hell, I even outright lost interest with MP because of it. Say bye bye to having 26 other Shepards that are still in ME2.