Quote:
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho
After reading some of the information out there about the theory, I think I'm a believer.
Completely changes things for me. If that's truly the way it ends, Bioware freaking blew my mind. And the writers are probably chuckling at all the people who didn't "get it" the first time.
They are famous for putting in things to reward the gamer who doesn't power-game through their games, for the person who takes time to love the experience. (IE, all the extras and their effect on the suicide mission in ME2). This theory would be the ultimate reward to the careful, observant gamer.
Of course, it's also a little uppity/snobby... |
The problem with that theory as you lay it out is that I'm a completionist. I finished the game with 7000+ war assets, but because I didn't do the multiplayer at the time, that left me with an effective strength of half that, still over 3500, yet I did not get the bonus clip. So for me there was no waking up. The game just ends, regardless of which choice I make after speaking to the catalyst. So I didn't (couldn't) even make the indoctrination connection until I read about it later. That little hint (if it really was a hint; I'm not convinced they planned any more of an ending than they gave) simply didn't exist in my game, despite the fact that I didn't skip anything in the singleplayer game, including playing all the way through 1 and 2 on the same character.
I assume when I finally get to that point on my second character, since I'll have 100% readiness thanks to the muliplayer, I'll get the 'full' ending including the clip in london. I might get it now if I replay from Cronus Station to the end with my original Paragon sentine.
If that's by design, then I'm a bit miffed that they made an extremely important event in the singleplayer game reliant on the tacked-on-later multiplayer component, which I originally never intended to ever play in the first place...
Either way, it's kind of sad that I couldn't get that clip on a ME2 export character even after 40+ hours of play in ME3.
I do think if the indoctrination theory was real, that we would have heard a definitive statement on it already. I think anything we get later is reactionary, and not planned. I think the ending is just a poor ending, but they left it vague enough that they might be able to fix it.