G'day there folks!
***WARNING: This review will have significant spoilers about the ending of Mass Effect 3 due to the changes done by this DLC. Newcomers be warned!***
Last week left fans of the Mass Effect universe in a frenzy as the Extended Cut DLC made it's way to the fight and have been raving about it since.
For those who did not keep track, Mass Effect 3 was released back in March, and while the game sold 3.5 million copies within the first few days, fans were furious with both Bioware and EA for the final ten minutes of the gameplay. The endings were nearly exactly the same, only with small changes and different colours, this leading to the protests worldwide to a change of the "Red, Green Or Blue Explosion" or "A, B, or C Choice". On Bioware's website, a shocking 92% demanded for Bioware to create new endings, 5% saying they didn't care and 3% liking the original endings.
Cupcakes, petitions, Youtube Videos, gamers banded together asking gamers with the quote "We will hold the line!", demanding a different ending. (Note: The quote was from Captain Kirrahe from the first Mass Effect game). This eventually lead the public to blame EA and Casey Hudson, directive creator or all Mass Effect games, for this horrible ending, many of the writers and developers pointing fingers at the two. From here, EA was awarded the "Worst Company In America" award, also known as The Poop Award. From here, all of EA's DLC for Mass Effect 3 have been free and the Extended Cut DLC was no exception.
Now bad on topic.
At the beginning of reclaiming Earth, smaller scenes are noticable from the beginning of the battle. Depending on who you choose, this will be affected by the battles. For example; If you recruited many fighter pilots, they will charge in at your go to attack not only the Reaper's smaller ships, but also attacking the Reapers head on, even managing to break off one of their parts with assistance from a Turian Vessel.
From here we fight through countless Brutes and Marauders alike until the final flight towards the Citadel's transport beam. From here, the main key plot holes begin to be filled. Extra scenary and dialogue choices were included. For example, the game takes into account who you talk to the most in the game or if you have had a romance with a particular squadmate. No matter the case, Shepard tells them to leave and get out and he continues the run to the beam only to be wiped out. If you romanced Liara, she will tell you quote "I am yours", while if you take Javik he claim quote "This is still my fight!". With this, we are able to see the Normandy escape and this covers to how all squadmates end up on the forest planet.
Once inside, a few extra scenes of the carnage inside are shown but nothing truly changes until you meet up with the God Child. Another few dialogue choices answer many of the questions raised regarding this child. (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)
We are to discover that the Child is not a God or even an advanced lifeform but nothing more than an AI. Created eons ago by an unknown race, he tells the story of both his creation and purpose. This race (Which goes without a name entirely), he suggests, created the Citadel, himself and the Mass Relays. The purpose was to eradicate chaos in the galaxy (This leads to the assumption that they created synthetics and had lost control). In order to maintain the peace, the Child kills this race and uses them to create the "One, true Reaper" in their form. (My guess is that since Harbinger is the leader of the Reapers, that his images is this race and thus naturally controls them, which would make sense since he controlled the Collectors) He goes on to say that "I give them purpose and in return, so do they". During this, he explains all three choices in much greater detail. Destroy, Control and Synthesis all are laid out in great detail. Destroy will kill off all synthetics, including the Geth, EDI and even technology, claiming "...But your children will make synthetics and the chaos will come back."
Control is self explanitory, Shepard will die to control the Reapers "You will die but your thoughts and even your memoris will continue". But Synthesis is the kicker; the Child proclaims that quote "Organics seek perfection through technology. Synthetics seek perfection through understanding." and that both will achieve perfection by having each other's perfection.
But wait, there's more! There is a "secret" ending for the taking. While not...entirely secret, it has been dubbed the "Refusal" ending. You can achieve this by either rejecting any of the other choices or by shooting at the Child, in which he will turn and speak like a Reaper. "So be it. The cycle continues." and this leads to the extinction of your cycle. There's no huge battles, no rally cry from the Krogan or Rachni swarming into the battlefield. A small scene showing a future race finding one of Liara's black boxes, having battle plans to the Reapers, the Crucible and so on. She starts with "If you are hearing this, then there still is hope." With a child and their mother, they talk about achieving peace within the galaxy if it wasn't for the Archive or, as in the original, "The Shepard"
When you have made your choice, the last plot hole is filled. A disgruntled Joker hears the order to retreat back through the relay as the Crucible begins to fire. All scenes depend on your choices from here on out. We see a Husk fighting a human, Asari fighting Reapers and so on. During the end, we see the aftermath of your choices, such as the Krogan rebuilding their world and having baby Krogan, Geth and Quarians living peacefully in a tower-filled Rannoch and the rebuilding of both the Citadel and the relay.
Each ending has a different voice over; Shepard for Control, EDI for Synthesis and Hackett for Destroy. As the Normandy crashes we also see a destroyed inner pit as either your favourite or lover places your name amongst the dead. From here, we see various still screens such as the rebuilding of earth.
Overall, gamers are now happy with the ending and I highly encourage you to give it a go. With this also now in our hands, fans are awaiting the now confirmed next DLC "Leviathan" and hopefully future Multiplayer DLC which will be announced July 12th.
This review will have no score as this DLC was entirely made due to fan request. My original rating of the game still stands.
Thanks for reading!
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