Finally finished Mass Effect 3

I finally finished Mass Effect 3.

I know. I know. It only took me more than a year. I even bought the game on the day of release.

Even though it took me one week to finish ME2, even after all side missions, I just couldn’t finish ME3. I couldn’t do it.

Here was the problem … I didn’t want it to end.

I had a feeling of how it would all end even before all the “controversial ending” posts were written about it. (And if you don’t know how it ends, stop reading).

Commander Shepherd had to die to save the universe. That part was obvious from the very beginning.

I have played video games for a long time, starting with the original Zelda and Mario Bros., through Sonic the Hedgehog and Call of Duty games. Nothing touched me like the Mass Effect series though.

I started playing the game on a whim. I was bored and the first game was sitting in the house. I had watched a few scenes of someone else and figured I would make my own ass-kicking Commander Shepherd to kill a few hours.

This game turned into an obsession for me. I was ruthless … a renegade, if you will. My character didn’t put up with anyone’s crap. But there was one character I had my eye on. Kaiden Alenko, you were in trouble.

Garrus quickly became one of my favorite characters. Wrex (in Effex, as I called) was my go-to slugger. Tali Zorah was the one I imagined Shepherd told her girlie secrets to while the mind meld with Liara was one of the amazing experiences Shepherd had.

And the night with Kaiden Alenko before going to Virmire … well, I just had video game sex and it was fantastic.

The games weren’t enough though. I read all the books, even the last one that should have never been written. I bought all the comics, a Garrus lithograph, a messenger bag and a zip-up hoodie.

After all that, it was time to finish the game. I was close too. I know I was on the last mission when I last stopped playing. So, I went for it killing back the reapers, knowing the whole time that when this game ended Commander Shepherd’s story would be complete.

I think BioWare did a nice job with having Shepherd talk to her team before the final assault. There was a sense of completion and you weren’t leaving anything behind.

When I got to the end and had to make a choice, I had no clue where to turn. None of the choices seemed obvious.

I am not completely happy about the ending because it seems as though none of the choices were really what my Shepherd would have picked. But I’m thrilled to have finally finished the game. I really would have loved an option Shepherd could just take the fight to the Reapers and destroy them without having to wipe out all other synthetics in the process.

Shepherd did spend the entire game uniting the different species in ME3, surely not all synthetics were bad.

I have many, many more thoughts on the ending and will more on that in the coming days.

Remember, I am Commander Shepherd and this is my favorite store on the Citadel.