Why The Citadel DLC Is A Better Ending To Mass Effect 3
My feelings towards the Mass Effect 3 ending as opposed to the Citadel DLC ending and ruminating about which one is "canon". This is somewhat, having written this a while back.
Introduction
I have been a science fiction fan ever since the re-release of the original Star Wars films into the cinema in 1997, maybe even before then. Fast forward to a new kind of science fiction and a new format of engrossing storytelling medium and I found my love of science fiction taken to another level. Now, as much as I still do like Star Wars I have come to regard my new love of Mass Effect as a dominant intergalactic space story. Not just due to the fact that it is the sci-fi epic of my generation, the format of the video game is one that is a contemporary, interactive, immersive experience in a world of its own. The real wonder of Mass Effect however is the level of depth it has in its depiction of the universe, one that is so much deeper and thought out than the Star Wars franchise; moral dilemmas, humanity, the struggle between “good”, “evil” and more importantly the vast, murky expanse in between the two.
The original Mass Effect 3 ending
The original ending to the Mass Effect 3 game was the infamous bump in the road for the franchise, a bump at the final hurdle at the most important and pivotal time of the whole series. Criticism of it has been rife, well-documented and relentless. I was one of the many players who found that ending to be disappointing, nonsensical and confusing. Without going into great depth (another essay by itself) about the ending to Mass Effect 3 and trying to just stick to basic short points, the reasons I found it to be so bewildering and inadequate are; a number of plot holes, “revealing” ending didn’t seem to make any sense, many questions still left unanswered (despite assurances they would all be answered) and even more questions raised.
The hugely popular Indoctrination Theory gave a wonderfully insightful and consistent explanation of what the ending could have possibly been actually alluding to, but was faced with the same problems as the ending if taken at face value – there was no tangible ending to the story. Which may not seem unusual given the Mass Effect trilogy and its very open multiple choices branching off into a story tailored for the specific player, but in the sense that the endings were left so open-ended it ceased to be a culmination or finale but merely just where the game ended. Following one of the possible options after a particular choice made by the player, we can see the main character, Commander Shepard, awaken in a pile of rubble and take a breath – after he/she is assumed to be dead. This is something that lends itself to the aforementioned Indoctrination Theory and leaves us with the problem of wondering if it was “all a dream” and why – in every possible ending – we see the main antagonist flee from the “final battle” not to be seen again. There is no closure, no resolution and certainly no clear-cut ending.
Extended Cut DLC
In response to criticism over the ending, the creative team cited “artistic integrity” and that the endings would not be changed. Later an “Extended Cut” DLC would be released where the endings were indeed altered to some degree, such as adding in scenes where certain plot holes and continuity errors were addressed and changed. However, the main characteristics of the ending stayed the same. There was still no final battle with the antagonist, Harbinger, Shepard is still seen alive at one possible end and the core ending explanation still didn’t sit right. Needless to say I, along with many other sects of fans, was frustrated at the endings even after the Extended Cut and as a fan, what was once hopeful optimism that the end may one day finally be expanded upon further, amended or dare I say finished in general began to dwindle and I began to realise that the endings were probably not going to be changed. This soured my opinion of the trilogy, having been such a big fan of the games up until now I felt it such a shame that the most important part had been left in this way.
The Citadel DLC
Approximately one year after the game was originally released and the white-hot war raging between BioWare, EA and a number of fan divisions over the controversial ending was beginning to simmer, a new DLC was announced – The Citadel DLC. This breathed new hope into those who were urging for an amended ending, although personally I didn’t expect it to relate to the ending, but was secretly hoping that it did. I stayed away from reviews and anything that might have spoiled the DLC story for me until I had the chance to play through it myself. The primary confrontation section of the story was rather humorous and wacky, good for a laugh, but I didn’t really think much else or more of it. The secondary part of the DLC is where it excelled as it focused on Shepard spending time with his/her crewmates as they rejoiced, relaxed and shared nostalgia before the big final battle. This is where I find myself thinking of this as the superior ending upon completing it.
The "better" ending?
Although I’d been thinking about this for some time, the idea for this piece really came together when someone I knew said they were thinking of replaying the ending but were concerned about being enraged over the ending all over again. They had played the Extended Cut DLC but not the Citadel DLC, I considered it and told them that they should perhaps simply not play the final mission but end on the Citadel DLC. To get one thing straight; I don’t see either of these proposed endings as perfect, but have begun to think of one more favourably as an ending to the series.
Here’s where it gets slightly knotted, but please hear me out. The actual canon ending to Mass Effect 3 is the original, with the inclusion of the events in the Extended Cut DLC. The Citadel DLC was the last DLC to be released for this Mass Effect trilogy, set before the in-game canon ending but to us as the actual player – we are experiencing it as the last part of this Mass Effect story. Breaking through a few walls here, I know.
I don’t know if this was the way BioWare intended for this to come across, but as a player I have found myself more at peace with the Citadel DLC as the end to Mass Effect 3 than the actual canon ending. I’m aware of the implications that this entails, adopting the Citadel DLC as the real ending means that we don’t get to see the “final battle” at all, the one that was wanted or expected.
But wait a minute? The “final battle” was never completed in the original ending in the first place. We were shown along the way until the point where it would have happened, but it never materialised. Taking the Citadel DLC as the ending would mean that we do not experience any of the battle, granted, but taking aside the over-saturated comedy and the fact that it doesn’t particularly alter the actual game in anyway; there is a certain beauty in spending the prelude to the ultimate end with the characters you have grown to be so connected with, to bask with them in the calm before the inevitable storm.
I do realise that it smacks of hypocrisy to complain of an ending left too open in the canon ending while supposing a new ending with an equally open ending. However, they remain open in different meanings, in the case of the original ending it is my distinction that it’s “open-ended” in the sense that the events that actually make up its foundation are not clear, logical or consistent with the rest of the game. The events that follow this up can be considered slightly less open-ended; defining this as things that are described as happening after the ending takes place, the slideshow montages of cities being rebuilt and characters after the war has ended, there is a general idea of what occurs following. In the ending of the Citadel DLC we are given a literal, distinct account of what has occurred when we spent the last few hours with our crewmates, it is the events that follow this that, should we think of this as the ending, would be left very open to the player, a “what happened next” kind of scenario as our heroes ride off into the sunset. Again, this would not be perfect or ideal, but I feel less slighted and snubbed when I consider this as the ending. Whereas it can be said that the original ending attempts to achieve the same to some degree, it’s convoluted and mostly fails if this is the case as it tries to leave the ending both up to interpretation while simultaneously, half-heartedly trying to create an atmosphere of resolution.
The final shot of the crew we know and love looking over the Normandy only to board it one more time as they embark on another suicide mission facing impossible odds seems to be a fitting and poetic way to see them off. Contemplating their future as they agree to stick by each other and face whatever happens – including the mortal enemy known as the Reapers, who, for all intents and purposes have been the staple opponent of the galaxy, have existed far before any of the species currently opposing it and whose very continuing existence requires the very kind of people like the crew on the Normandy to exist to defy it.
It may be the case that the Citadel DLC being the superior ending to the series is only viable due to the existence of the canon ending and by result of comparison. Maybe this whole thing is just an elaborate, complex “still a better ending than Mass Effect 3” joke.
Conclusion – An Ending Once For All
I really loved the Citadel DLC and think they did a great job, the problem is that it didn't actually change or reference the ending of the game and I hereby declare myself to admitting to like the Citadel DLC and still not like the original ending. I can't quite bring myself to say that they “redeemed” themselves with this however, as some fans are saying. There is, of course, one drawback to this that I must address… whereas the original and Extended Cut endings were included in the game free of charge; the Citadel DLC was presented to us at a price equivalent to another game entirely. This is where some have been speculating as to whether this DLC is a genuine connection with the game and its fans, the newest ploy to make some money or some kind of beast in between the two. I don’t know why BioWare chose not to have a tangible ending to the trilogy, why they chose so fervently to keep them the way they were even in the face of such defiance or if they will ever address this. Maybe they know something that we don’t. Maybe their choices were affected by outside influences in some way. But one thing is for sure; in the immediate aftermath, the weeks, months and year that followed the disagreements intensified and the gap between BioWare and some of its fans grew ever greater.
BioWare have stated that this DLC marks the end of this Mass Effect story – one way or another; the series has come to an end and left a trail of destruction in its wake between the associated companies and fans. Maybe this is why it feels like such a more legitimate ending than the original? A real, genuine battle and a true goodbye. For the game, its characters and the fans alike.
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