But given the gravity of the story and the state of the galaxy, how could this epic be tackled with any less time? I mean after being ignored by the Citadel Council (for basically the past 2 games) as well as your own kind, you are immediately tasked as Humanity's last beacon of hope. But what can be done when the enemy has descended upon all of Earth and is destroying and killing every single man, woman and child they can. Shepard said it best: They are more intelligent, they are more advanced, they do not fears humans and they will never show mercy. But no, you must leave the fight behind on Earth and gather all the forces of the galaxy to bring the fucking hurt down upon those called the Reapers.
Yes, that was the 40 hour mark back there in that cloud of dust.
And another first for me is replaying the game almost immediately after completion. For a good while, I was almost convinced that this play through (my first) would be the definitive one. It would be the run that would end it all. I would either save humanity and, by extension, the galaxy or I would see my Commander Shepard die trying.
And goddamn it all, this game does pull a lot of heart strings in the course of it's tale. Perhaps my playing (and finishing) of Mass Effect 2 helped add fuel to that fire. I regather my crew, gained their loyalty and took them all into the fires of Hell itself (the Collector's base) and every single one of them lived to tell the tale. But now to see former crew mates dying and not being able to do anything about it is just terrible. More so the fact that two of my favorite characters basically died back to back. I don't care what anyone else thinks of me, I'm man enough to say that even I wasn't sure I could finish this game. Could I handle anymore deaths? For a moment in time there, I damn near forgot I was playing a video game and it felt to me like I was Commander Shepard. Never mind that millions of others were playing this game. This was MY game and MY story. I felt like these guys were really MY crew and their deaths was just brutal.
It goes back to a little line from the opening portion of the game, where Shepard and Admiral Anderson are cutting through a damaged building to get to the Normandy. I can't remember the exact lines, but it basically said this war was rough because you knew that no matter what you did, you just can't save everyone.
But damn it all, I tried...
For the record also, let it be known on this blog that taking the Renegade option later in the game and impaling Kai Leng was and will always be worth it. Yes, that was indeed for Thane you son of a bitch.
Ahem.
As for the ending, I now honestly do not know what to think or make of it. I knew going in kind of what to expect, but given how everything else in the game played out, I will simply say this: Death seemed the most suiting end for those who are haunted by the ghosts of those departed.
I expect BioWare will inevitably announce something in response to the uproar that so many people have created. Personally I really hope they do not change the way the ending played out. I think some of these people are angry because they've become so attached that the end, maybe any ending, would never have been enough. I can understand that much for it.
At the end of the day, however, as a fan I can only as of BioWare this: Please, for the love of all you've ever created, if you go the way of making an expansion that takes place after the ending of the game and it does involve Commander Shepard, please do a better job of explaining the hows and whys. I really don't want to see another Dragon Age: Awakening.
Oh and an unrelated note: Looks like I'm back to blogging here again, regardless if I am my own biggest fan and only reader. 2012 is well under way! Let's do this! This also happens to be the 660th post, I think I won't stop until either a) Blogger shuts down or b) I hit maybe 10,000? Lofty goal yes, but goddamn I will try!
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