Nothing is Perfect--Part 3--That Ending Tho

FemShep version 7.0 (possibly) is currently fighting her way through Mass Effect 3.  Mass Effect 3 is always one of the most difficult games of the trilogy to get through--not because of wonky combat (ME1!) but because that damn ending is always looming over your head.  It's just too bad the game gets such a bad rap because of the ending--I actually like the rest of the game.  So, again, Mass Effect 3 is a fabulous example of a game that's not quite perfect.

Traynor is the hero with the fancy toothbrush.

I will admit to being freakishly unable to veer from the same decisions that I make every time I play.  This time around, I forced myself to take a different path.  Liara is my LI of choice and the game (not un-controversially with some fans) does seem to steer Shep down that lovely, blue path.  This time, I decided that I would pursue Samantha Traynor.  Even though Traynor is a side character, she's one that I've oddly liked--I find her general awkwardness to be endearing rather that offputting.  The Traynor romance isn't entirely new to me--the first time I played through ME3, I accidentally cheated on Liara with Traynor  (I thought there was a chance that maybe Liara wouldn't find out about the whole shower thing because...you know, it's all the way down in Shep's cabin.  SPOILERS--She finds out, she confronts you, and it's painful to watch).  I am interested to see how the Traynor romance plays out since that one time happened prior to the release of the Citadel DLC.

If I'm being completely honest though...every other decision I've made has been exactly the same.  My Shep is a Paragon who is out to save as much of the galaxy as she can.  She's cured the genophage, united the Quarians and the Geth, and is moving closer and closer to her own eventual destruction (guess what I will probably pick?).

It's not the loss of Shep that bothers me about the ending--it's the ridiculous contradiction of already established lore and the extremely obnoxious, space-magic star-kid with its long-winded diatribe.  I will say one thing about the ending--at least they made the extended cut.  I remember the first time I finished it and how utterly confused and disappointed I felt, which is too bad because other than the stupid ending, the rest of the game is great.

I'm still debating about whether or not my Mass Effect marathon should include the much maligned Mass Effect:  Andromeda.  Of all the Mass Effect games, it is the one that is the farthest from perfection (I think I would even rank it below the original game).  The weird thing I've noticed though is that the more I have played through Andromeda, the less negatively I feel about it (the combat is actually fun).