Mass Effect 3: the calm before the Storm

Just trying to get some insight from you guys.

Before ME3 was released, what were your expectations? Did anyone else expect a huge, colossal ending to the series? I personally thought it would end epically, but it ended in the shape of a stinking terd.

I expected more of a "Meh" ending. I didn't expect that it would be able to meet the high expectations I had placed on it. But I certainly didn't expect... that...

I didn't freak out like some of the nuts did, but I was very disappointed that such a deserving series got that kind of ending.

I can't answer because I only started playing the series shortly before it released.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't calling for Casey Hudson's head after I found out about the ending. I like to think that I reacted rationally during the early days of the ending crisis. My initial reaction when I got the ending was something like "Wait, that's it? Where did I make a mistake and get the bad ending?"

Just like me buddy.

Everything was setup for success so no, I hadn't considered the possibility of it sucking. I will never make that mistake again. Failure is always an option. Particularly in games where there is so much turnover of talent from game to game.

Let me put it this way: I was looking forward to ME3 more than I was looking forward to the Avengers movie (to give you some perspective, I'm a massive comic book nerd) and more than I was looking forward to graduating from college. And it was not even a close ranking. My love of the series and my trust in Bioware was so high, it never even crossed my mind that the game would be anything other than amazing. Well, we all know what happened. Undoubtedly the most disappointing video game I have ever played. Heck, I didn't think I COULD feel this depressed about something like a video game

My expectations were high enough that I erased Dragon Age II from memory, preordered the collector's edition (took me a while to even track down a retailer that still had it available), and completely neglected housekeeping duties, cooking, and even sleep so I could play through it as quickly as possible (I'm sure my kids thought I had completely lost it). I think it was 4 in the morning when I finished, and I've never felt so deflated in my life. My initial reaction was 'I gave up two nights of sleep for that?!?'

Cautious but extremely hopeful. There had been some hiccups along the way that made me that "Cautious" fellow (Dragon Age II, Mass Effect: Deception, SW: ToR)

But I kept telling myself "Hey, this is a different team from the DA team. They hired a guy who obviously didn't do his homework on the game's lore before he wrote that dreck, and no one really props an MMO up like that for long especially on the verge of F2P Guild Wars 2."

I should have seen these as the warning signs they were and just........waited until both the Critical and Player responses told me what to expect.

I expected something epic and good, so I didn't want to spoil it for myself so I never looked at any of the details.

And then I realized how crap the game was when I got up to Catalyst and watched short epilogue of the Normandy crashing and 10000 years in the future of two beings talking with uncertainty and then I was asked to continue playing by buying DLC.

Needless to say I was extremely disappointed, it felt like "Is this it?"
I did hear some complains about the ending before I finished but I thought they were just the same old usual and I thought I would be happy with the endings because Bioware couldn't possible screw up something so good...... but they did.

Been on the same boat, and widely diverging endings as well.

It's like what the living fuck did I just see?!

What I wish how I reacted when I saw Mass Effect 3's ending.
I was more.

The tagline about how not everyone would like the ending had me expecting Shepard to die and maybe a scenario where some or most of his squad and/or friends die too. I'd have NEVER expected the top tier level of fuck up that we got, nor the arrogance and hubris to follow.

I too spent nearly all waking hours playing the game when it first came out. When I was in home stretch, I played nonstop until 5 in the morning, so sure there would be some amazing finale I could not wait to see. Between the sleep deprivation and the way the ending made me feel ill (I am not exaggerating), that was probably the worst night (or rather early morning hours) of sleep I've ever had

I expected Suicide Run 2.0 esp with Assets and Squaddies involved...*sad panda face*

I expected a lot. I'd been waiting for the Reaper invasion ever since I beat ME1 4-5 years ago. I knew they had set it up for a trilogy so ME2 wasn't going to be the invasion. I was always glad though, because it would make the wait that much more worth it because technology would be better to and it would allow them to make the war truly epic.

I wouldn't say I was one of the nuts because I didn't get on BSN and start swearing at BioWare like many did.

But I did go straight to BSN to be with all the other depressed Mass Effect fans. It hit me HARD.

I still haven't recovered. And as I see the BSN clock wind through the year, I have seen people get over it, find closure through dlc's with it, or just force themselves to accept it. Either way, the depressed and heart broken fans are decreasing. Which kills me more because I know I'll never get over it unless we can get a "win" ending.

I expected an epic finale that would tug on my heartstrings....because there were two things I expected to happen in an inevitable fashion - squadmates dying and Shepard dying. There was probably a .0000001% of me that expected Shep to survive, perhaps under the condition that the player had maxed out playability of the previous two games. (aka done everything possible in ME1 and ME2)
So I was broken up by that aspect of the endings? No. I was broken up about the fact that unless you're a straight-up Renegade, every option (pre EC) felt wrong...to me anyway...my Sheps are never purely Paragon or Renegade. (this was also after I got over the initial WTF stage fyi)

Also I expected to be neck-deep in battle, in WAR...which I wasn't too enthusiastic about because I'm not into COD or anything like that, but I figured things would even out.
In that regard...well....I guess I worried for nothing! Which is a shame...that instead of feeling the string and thrill of war in ME3, Shep's fishing around the galaxy for assets usually in the most mundane fashion.

thats exactly how it was for me (minus kids tho, since i dont have them yet =) While i was waiting for ME3 i began playing SW:ToR, but i honestly told to everyone that when ME is released, i will be lost for them for atleast couple of weeks. I was remembering my obsession with ME2 and it really was THAT bad=) i even left WoW where i spent more than 4 years anf had top-geared char and nice guild. But...in 3 days after ME3 releasy it was like 3-4 am when i logged back to swtor, to find atleast someone in guild chat and first thing i said was - wtf was that?!