Origin Is Broken, The ME3 Ending Isn’t
I have a big problem with Mass Effect 3.
Actually, that’s not quite correct. I have a problem with Origin.
I have not the faintest clue why Bioware couldn’t just use Steam. Steam is a fantastic platform for game distribution. Why doesn’t everyone use it? Why do I need yet another piece of bullshit software on my machine?
Okay, so I’ll install it. I find that every time I want to log into Origin, I have to change my password. Every Single Time. And the check box that says, ‘Save My Password’? It’s made of pernicious lies.
So I look on the forums. Guess what, other people are experiencing the same issues. I know! I’ll log in and add my voice to the chorus of complaints! They need to know that this software is utter crap. But the forums use the same password as your Origin login. And I will have to change my password YET AGAIN to log in and complain that I CAN’T LOG IN.
Okay. Okay. So I’ll ignore the complete and utter bullshit of Origin for the sake of Mass Effect 3. I’ll never, ever log off of Origin, so I don’t have to change my password again (sometimes waiting for hours for the password change e-mail, too).
Now today, I catch Origin using 25% of my CPU. When I’m not playing ME3. It’s just sitting in my system tray, doing nothing, using 25% CPU.
Bioware, I would never advocate piracy to anyone. A good product deserve good money. But it’s like you’re trying to convince me otherwise.
In closing, about the Mass Effect 3 ending. I thought it was great, and fit the rest of the game series perfectly. In a game about sacrifice and the horror of war and difficult decisions, I had to make a horrible, difficult decision between a number of equally unsavory choices. But given that the game said over and over that either (1) everyone in the universe dies, or (2) I save some of the people in the universe, and defeat the Reapers, the fact that Shepard managed (2), and I managed to save some of my friends in the process, is gratifying enough. I liked the last bit particularly, with ‘The Shepherd.’ Would I like more detail? Sure. Am I all mad? Nah.
So, why are people so mad about the ending? I really don’t know. Maybe they were playing pure Paragon and thought they “deserved” a happily-ever-after ending. Maybe they forget about all of the horrible decisions made along the way. I suspect that they have a different outlook on life than I.
So, in closing: Fix Origin, don’t worry about fixing the ending. The former is maddeningly, horribly broken, the latter is just fine by this fan.