Spectacular video fam😭😭😭

@minutemaniicures3986

5 ай бұрын

Came here on your recommendation! I’m excited for this one

@Icynova

5 ай бұрын

I love your recommendations.

@Maedas

5 ай бұрын

Found you recently @FDSignifire and saw your recommendation, a welcome use of the community functions ❤️

@MagickP00dle

5 ай бұрын

Bro how are you finding all these great creators you keep shouting out? The only one I think I've found before you is Nickolas Nameolas.

@ComradeTabby

5 ай бұрын

Thank you @FDSignifire for all your recommendations. I have found so many great creators thanks to your shout outs.

I'm commander Shepard and this is my favorite Mass Effect video essay on the citadel.

@eitkoml

4 ай бұрын

We'll bang OK

Always got misty when Tali said “I have a home, come back to me…”partly because I know that my wife, the love of my life, would be absolutely devastated, and likely never forgive me if I martyred myself in the same way. But also because I know that I would still go if in Shep’s shoes. The thought haunts me.

@roguesquadron521

4 ай бұрын

That, and the words "I want more time" and how her voice almost breaks. Tali was and always will be my main romance in ME, lol.

@TheOneRioji

Ай бұрын

That line tears me apart, because Marauder Shields’ sacrifice would be in vain. I would have built him that home on Ranoch.

I actually quite miss the strange atmosphere of the first Mass Effect. At times it felt quirky or oddly soothing, but there was always a sort of threatening undertone to everything. Like standing in the sunshine and watching a sky-blackening thunderstorm draw in.

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

couldn't have put it better myself!

Mordin Solus was a good man who sacrificed his life for the good of an entire race. May he rest in peace. He is the very model of a scientist Salarian.

@docdingus6961

5 ай бұрын

I am the very model of a scientist Salarian *sniffle*

@rhael42

5 ай бұрын

Had to be him. Someone else might've gotten it wrong.

@iknowhowtoescapetheMatrix

19 күн бұрын

Might run tests on the seashells.

@Gnust

15 күн бұрын

Mordin truly was the very model of a scientist salarian. But more important: The very model of a good friend

@gladoshrh0832

Күн бұрын

There was, I believe it was a deleted scene in Mass Effect: Andromeda where Ryder would eat the leaf of a plant, and experience a hallucination. S.A.M would start singing A Modern Major General And the camera would show the back of a… somewhat familiar salarian on a beach, looking upon the shore…

Sigh... Am i ready for this

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

took me like an hour to hit "publish" cause *I'm* not ready for it

@tlomofficial

4 ай бұрын

Ive played the trilogy on a biyearly basis since ME3 came out, and I wasnt ready for this😭

@Alitheone6618

9 күн бұрын

Nope...

When Legion (spoiler) after saving his people i legit broke down crying and went to bed. It was like 6 am and i had gotten the game on midnight release and played all night. Its probably my most cherished gaming experience. And then the next day i finished ME3 and it felt like a bad beeakup. Like i had gotten ghosted on my wedding day. It still stings.

@PensFan35

5 ай бұрын

The bad breakup was amplified by a pretty hastily strewn-together ending with that ghost child. I really don’t envy being in that writing room, though. It’s gotta fuckin suck trying to come up with something that pleases everyone. In hindsight I think I and many others were too harsh with how BioWare finished it.

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

that's a really great way to put it- there's a horrific emotional whiplash once that elevator takes you up... there's also aome *very* interesting stuff going on with the quarians and the geth and Jewish folklore and cultural practices, but I couldn't quite fit it into this video. definitely down the line though!

@galactic85

5 ай бұрын

I screwed up on my first play through and had to let the geth die. I was romancing tali and I couldn't let her die so I chose to save the quarians. But after I did it I still felt horrible. After that moment I vowed to replay the series just to ensure that I would be able to save both the geth and the quarians.

@K.C-2049

5 ай бұрын

"Every point of view is useful, even those that are wrong... if we can judge why a wrong view was accepted." Legion was deep.

@thetaarakian

5 ай бұрын

I've always said that the finales of Tchanka and Rannoch were the real core "endings" of Mass Effect as a trilogy. It always bothered me that folks kinda threw away these amazing culminations of the series when talking about ME3 due to the color choice ending of the game.

Here thanks to FD Signifire. My grandfather passed away in the early morning on Jan 25, 2010. After falling in love with Mass Effect 1 before it was even released, I absolutely collapsed into Mass Effect 2 on Jan 26, 2010. It was a comfort, a sanctuary, a counselor, therapy... There is no game series that has had as much impact on me as Mass Effect. Revisiting it is always at once retraumatizing and cathartic. Thank you for sharing this journey, albeit parasocially, with me.

@Para2normal

5 ай бұрын

I really understand you, my Dad died the day before Elden Ring was released, that damn game, no matter how bad I am at it, helped me through the darkest time of my life. Rest in Power Dad.

You are the first person I’ve ever heard actually talk about how god damn good the third game is at creating that sense of finality and dread. You put to words everything I feel about these games and the intense emotions that come with going through all three narratives. Playing these games cause such a strong reaction in me that I didn’t think anyone else experienced. Thank you, this is one of my favorite video essays I’ve found.

@ExternalDialogue

2 ай бұрын

It really sucks that people just dismiss the third game wholesale as, while flawed, it also manages to carry so much more thematic value than the other two games combined.

I JUST got back into my like 10th playthrough of the original trilogy and EVERY time Sovereign says "You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it." I get chills. This video is a work of art. Absolutely required viewing for any Mass Effect fan

@gagrin1565

29 күн бұрын

I don't think this is a VI

Haven’t even finished the video yet and already I’ve almost cried so many times. I am watching this while cooking but I know it’s not just cus I’m literally cutting onions, it’s the way Mordin says “I made a mistake”😭😭😭😭

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

and then right after he says it, his eyes dart around, like he's processing what he just said. he knew it deep down, and he blurted it out, and only then does he consciously get it.

That tali scene in ME2...aa a huge Tali stan who NEVER misses that paragon interrupt....that hit HARD.

Played through countless times. Same moments still leave me distraught. One of the few, reliably cathartic experiences I can think of. That prayer scene with Thane wrecks me every time.

Mass Effect is always a series that no matter how old I get every has both the same and different reaction to it at the same time.I'll never understand how Bioware released these games and ended up in their current state

@shepardcommander5174

5 ай бұрын

Greedy people

@Phingolfina

4 ай бұрын

Capitalize demands it.

@user-ed5be9eu7t

5 күн бұрын

EA is the reason....

WHY WHY WAS I PROGRAMMED TO FEEL PAIN

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

SO THAT YOU KNOW YOU ARE ALIVE. ALSO, SO THAT YOU AVOID BEAR ATTACKS.

The messed up part of the intro (the reaper attack) in the third game is the hint that you are the reason the reapers attack so hard. All your actions in the previous games however great put your planet higher on the priority list. All those deaths though inevitable hit harder. I hated that leaving earth track because it hit too hard.

Mass effect 1 will always be my favorite as soon as I see that opening screen and hear the theme I’m transported back to high school playing it at my grandmas every weekend

not the Kaidan slander 😭😭

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

actually I love him in me3! but in me1 he's tough to fall into...

@BleedingLiar17

15 күн бұрын

I like him in 1 more than 2 and 3 😂 ​@@chriswaves

I have played the Mass Effect Trilogy probably seven times through, and each time, the moment that breaks me, without fail, is the prayer with Thane as he dies on the Citadel. It's what I love about Mass Effwct. The quiet, human drama's going on against unimaginable odds and suffering. The world is falling apart, but for brief moment, you get to have a quiet moment with a good friend.

I will actually refute the "Tali being the objectively best romance option in the game." thing. Garrus also exists, and they are joint best. So much so that if you romance neither of them, they get together. They are both such great characters. That's it, end of my refute, wonderful video in all other aspects.

@MistahJay7

5 ай бұрын

Liara clears

@emylikula9159

4 ай бұрын

Blonde fem shep Renegade Jacob romance get cockblock in ME3, proceed to kill him everytime in the suicide mission.

@josephhiers9523

Ай бұрын

Thane bodies

@logandelaharpe6362

Ай бұрын

I am aware thane is a body now

@Davidofthelost

Ай бұрын

Reminds me of the choice between Leliana and Morrigan from DAo. Thankfully there’s a bug that lets one work around choosing.

"you exist because we allow it. and you will end because we demand it" if not the best line in videogame history

Man.... That bit in part 3 about death not being cruel or merciful really hit me. My grandma passed away nearly 2 weeks ago after several years of being ravaged by Alzheimer's. She raised me more than my parents did, which rescued me from a turbulent household that was rife mutual domestic violence and food insecurity as divorce loomed on the horizon. She was the person i was closest with and if I'm being honest, the family member i loved the most outside of my siblings. I'm flying half way across the country tomorrow to attend her funeral... I'm the type of person that mourns through catharsis but I hadn't found a single thing that was helping knock the emotional cobwebs loose until certain parts of this video. ME1 was the game I escaped when real life was too hard back then. ME2 made me feel like I could make friends when I had trouble connecting with people. ME3 was the game that helped me learn how important it was to maintain supportive relationships, to find mutual value in another person. To think that all these years later, you make a video about a game that i initially picked up for $13 in a GameStop bargin bin on a whim, and it's helping me deal with how to say goodbye to someone I love so much... That's crazy. This is my long winded way of saying thank you for this video. Truly excellent work. And thanks for helping me find the words to describe everything going on right now. ❤

@picahudsoniaunflocked5426

5 ай бұрын

I'm sorry for your loss + losses.

@KeelahVhenan

4 ай бұрын

This. I've struggled with how to put my own feelings about this series into words for so long, and I had to go back and read through this a second time because I felt like you were writing my personal experience. I lost my Grandmother January 11th last year and my story regarding her is identical to yours as well as how Mass Effect helped me through both that as well as being a balm and a means of allowing me to not feel alone through the turbulent relationship I have with my husband. I feel your pain and I pray that you find comfort through it all. Thank you for sharing this.

Played through this series for the first time last year. The genophage arc especially hit me super hard. What an incredible, incredible story. Also, I take your Tali and I raise you a 💕✨ Garrus ✨💕

@picahudsoniaunflocked5426

5 ай бұрын

I second your Garrus.

It's so refreshing to see such a creative video done on the Mass Effect trilogy that doesn't just summarize the games plot beat by beat like some summary. I swear most videos do that like I haven't beaten these games a Billion times. We Need more Mass Effect videos like this.

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

thank you! I was honestly worrying I was summarizing it too much

To paraphrase Disco Elysium, 'Nothing would please your enemies more than for you to lay down and die.' So if you don't have hope there's always unrelenting and passionate spite.

Oh, god. I don't know if I'm ready to watch this right now, but I'm so glad this exists (and I'm giving it a shot right now, anyway). This series means the world to me, even though ME3 was *painful*. When I adopted my service dog in 2014, and it was time to name him, I thought of the best companion character, my favorite companion character, in videogames, and named him Garrus (rest in peace, sweet starpup).

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

there's no Shepherd without Vakarian! genuinely an amazing name for a dog

@RexytheRexy

5 ай бұрын

​@@chriswaves He fully lived up to it. My Garrus was a huge, gorgeous brindle harlequin Great Dane who quite literally saved my life. We were a perfect FemShep and Garrus team who went everywhere together (he was a great flier, but took up an entire bulkhead row's worth of seats). Were this the Golden Compass universe, Garrus was my Daemon. It still feels like I'm missing a limb without him. Not many people recognized his name, but it was wonderful when they did.

@RexytheRexy

5 ай бұрын

(P.S. This is why you're exactly my kind of people at parties)

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

@RexytheRexy if I find you at one I'll buy you a beer!

@picahudsoniaunflocked5426

5 ай бұрын

@@RexytheRexy I'm so sorry he passed & so grateful for your time with him.

You put words to something I absolutely loved about this series. Yes it was messy but this game did something great and rarely seen

I’ve never played this series, but my first therapist loved it. I’ve been thinking about checking it out

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

you must!!

Literally, the only game I ever played Heart of Courage has been my ringtone for 14 years

I remember being up at 1 AM, TV turned all the way down because i was home from spring break and had a total of 3 days to get through of ME3. The wave of emotion that hit me at the (spoiler) voice line about "the shephard" was so intense i still think about it today. I was also a hit let down by the ending, but I have always felt that ME3 is truly the best game out of the 3 just because of how much happens in the journey to the ending. I also think even if they had a better written ending that there would still be a sizable backlash, if only because it is the conclusion of something many people put a ton of time into. It was always going to be controversial because it had to pull all the strands of narrative together, and given that (as you put it) Mass Effect is definitely messy as a series, it was kinda bound for an ugly finish.

@arsxxmoriendi

3 ай бұрын

The ending was never about a cutscene, it was absolutely about the journey and choices. Plus, Citadel DLC is now the proper ending.

Control ending always just to flex my brand new super advanced body on the Turian conselor. Now you believe he.

It is absolutely CRIMINAL this doesn't have more views! This was incredible work man

Fantastic video essay. You've managed to put my complex feelings about this series into words. I never consciously realised that it was the narrative exploration of death's inevitability that I found equal parts terrifying and compelling but, now that I think about it, it all makes sense. As someone who has a visceral fear of my own death, maybe this is why I keep coming back to these games. I've never found another series that quite manages to recreate the feelings Mass Effect continues to provoke in me. It truly is a messy masterpiece. Thank you for making this video 😊

It's absolutely insane for this video to only have 25k views. Every time I run a playthrough of the trilogy from now on, this video feels like an essential epilogue to cap it off and tie all of those feelings together. Great stuff man, subscribed

I've been waiting for this! Thank you for making me not feel so alone in being overly emotional about a video game storyline. This trilogy ruined me as well, an unexpected darkness underneath.

Your section about Javik once again reinforces that BioWare made a huge mystake by originally making him a preorder bonus and locking out people from having him for a while. He is absolutely critical to the game imo.

@chriswaves

4 ай бұрын

100%

@arsxxmoriendi

3 ай бұрын

Game should auto-force Liara AND Javik for Thessia.

I finished the trilogy last night. I had never cried so hard due to any piece of art ever.

So I just finished the Legendary Edition last night after playing the original 3 games many years ago. This video popped up at exactly the right time as I was wrestling with all the feelings that the ending of the games gives you. This was superbly made, and you gave me even more to think about with the discussions of death over the course of the series. And yeah, Tali for life, every time

The mass effect trilogy ruined me from any other video games. I always find my way back to it and I’ve replayed the trilogy. Probably at least 20 times over. It is my home. no matter how many times I play it, the characters are part of me and I always want to go back to them. no other game has had that effect on me, before or since.

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

I highly recommend Disco Elysium! I also have a video on that one to convince you, but it's a genuine recommendation

@uberbeau

5 ай бұрын

@@chriswavesthank you. I will check it out

Damn, bro, I felt that. I was lost when I played this game. I emerged in a raw state of being but definitely sure of where I wanted to go with my life. But this trilogy stayed deep within me; I let it in, and it spoke to me.

Best Mass Effect analisis/documentary video I've seen. You understand and can see what Mass Effect was really all about.

Wow. Just--wow. This was just indescribably beautiful. I've never played any of the Mass Effect games before, and honestly before this video i don't think I could have called upon a single plot point or character. But this? This sort of video that oozes deep, emotive care for the subject and takes the time to carry the reader through the heart and soul of a game series like this? I think you've made me fall in love with a game I've never played. The careful, cherished way you speak, the flawless editing that occasionally leaps leagues beyond a normal video essay and simmers into something more artistic and mesmerizing, it was all an incredible experience. When I first clicked to the video, I had it on in the background, but within 15 minutes it was up on my screen and I minimized everything else so I could be sucked into the world this video created. Even the messages, the way love and hope and companionship and persistence in the face of what feels like absolute despair... These are things I needed to hear and see right now. This game seems like a messy, yet masterful labor of love and I'm going to stalk it on Steam until it goes on sale so I can give it a try. I really look forward to future videos from you, to be taken by the hand and brought into your carefully crafted masterpiece. Thank you Chris :)

Mass Effect is the best and most unique mix between sci-fi and cosmic horror ever created. My big brother, may he rest in peace, was a huge fan of Mas Effect and to be honest, I never was intrested in give it a try, until he pased away... I grabed his old PS3 and started playing it, now I play the whole trilogy once every year in his name, that's why I love this game so much, because I feel attached to my brother even if he's no more with us and I enjoy it just as much as he used to enjoy it.

oh WOW do I ever agree with you about the Reapers. one of the most interesting things about them in the first game was that they were simply unknowable, beyond the comprehension of organics. I honestly didn't even like in the second game how they were collecting organics to build new ones 😬

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

completely agree! if they're incomprehensible space gods, why do they need to do all that prefigurative work?

@K.C-2049

5 ай бұрын

@@chriswaves yeh and being god tier definitely adds to the sense of dread and the conundrum of how do we defeat these mfs?

@ninfreak95

10 күн бұрын

Being "incomprehensible" always makes a cool intro to a story, but never a satisfying conclusion. You have to explain things eventually, and they will never live up to incomprehensible because you have to make them comprehensible. It made a great scene, but foolish for the story moving forward. Making it so that the Reapers only thought they were beyond understanding because they were designed to think that way avoided a plot hole while also bypassing a bad setup. It made sense.

If you don't prompt Javik to relive his past through the shard, he will tell Shepherd that he will travel the galaxy as a historian of his people.

@chriswaves

3 ай бұрын

this is true, and it's immensely satisfying that he will write a book with liara. but looking at the shard just reveals so damn much about his character...

Mass Effect is hands down my favorit game ever and for years, every couple of months, I was searching on YT if anyone would make a proper essay about the game, because I always felt the depth of the game, but wasn't sure how to put it in to words and was hoping someone would be able to express those feelings better than me. Thanks to you, someone finally did it. You went beyond just the good character design and choiches, but dissected the essence of the game and made me tear up just by watching your video. Thank you!

The death of Mordin broke me, it was the first time i cried real tears for a video game character .

Awesome video. I always felt that MEs strength was in getting people to love the characters so completely, and to use that attachment to tell different stories. Which is why the ending muted my feelings so drastically. It's not that I needed a happy ending or a sad ending, but I needed an ending that felt like it loved the characters/universe as much as I did. Instead I got one that felt like it couldn't wait to distance itself from it all. I still love the series, but boy oh boy is it bittersweet.

@picahudsoniaunflocked5426

5 ай бұрын

Garrus walked so the Creature in Shape of Water could dance. There are a ton of precursors but I think ME's widespread success (until um the colours) was undeniable proof that even the most alien-y of aliens could be lovable/f-ckable.

@ExternalDialogue

2 ай бұрын

The ending feels such cruel disregard towards its own setting. Even something like the citadel just... unceremoniously getting blown up feels so jarring. Its a place that means so much, has hosted so many stories. I'm not opposed to having it be destroyed but jeez give it some gravitas, its a station of millions of people, thousands of years of history and the hub of all galactic culture and trade, not just a mcguffin to be used and discarded when the plot demands it.

this is the second best video i've ever seen in my life, and all I do all day is explore youtube all day. This hit me right where I live, tore my heart out of my chest, and demanded that it kept beating.

this is SO ridiculously good. one of the best video essays ive watched in a while. this needs more views, fantastic work 👏👏

First video I decided to watch today and now I’m not sure what to do next. I don’t have the exact words to express the feelings of what playing this franchise put me through. Watching this video and revisiting this universe after so long. It’s more than nostalgia for my younger years. It’s my experience. It’s heavy hitting and hard to deal with, even now upon the video end. But it’s worth it, it will always be worth it.

why am I getting this video now? I needed this about a year ago when a deep depression hit me after finishing ME3. Also, you are absolutely wrong, Garrus is THE best romance ☺

That intro where you quote lines or recount scenes from the series out of context goes hard. Having seen the games in a mostly "entertainment" manner (in spite of enjoying them greatly) I felt like those lines and scenes feel out of place with how resonant they are, because you don't necessarily consider their depth while playing the games. Wonderful video.

Amazing video. You brought me back to a place I had forgotten about, a franchise that meant a lot to me and highlighted what made it so special in spite of its flaws. After ME3's ending and Andromeda I had managed to somehow forget and taint my experience with the franchise as a whole. I couldn't play ME3 at launch despite being a huge fan and trying out almost every combination of choices and scenarios for ME2. I played it almost two years later an all the fan reaction to the game and it's ending made me hesitant to actually finish it. Both the Krogan and Geth/Quarian conflicts were incredible experiences, but for the longest time I couldn't pull myself to actually complete the game and reach the ending. Sometimes the expectation of disappointment can cloud the experience so much. I didn't have the visceral reaction to the ending I was expecting, but it was emptying. Once again, amazing video.

Tali is my queen. Anything for my Tali.

Bro! took it off two times speed and actually watched the screen. Awesome work

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

as an avid 1.5x guy, this is a huge compliment! thank you

God, I am loving the Paragon and Renegade lights in the background for most of the video

The games shows humanity's defiance against overwhelming odds and almost certain death

As the author of LE's happy ending mod, I feel the need to respond to the claim that fans believe that Shepard surviving would've fixed the ending. Because you're completely right. I've often been lumped in with (and have sometimes even been the face of) the "Shepard needs to survive!" crowd, understandably so given what my mod does. But my approach for the happy ending mod was to rework the ending we have to provide a satisfying conclusion as best as I could, but it was not meant to make the ending what it always should've been. I see it more as aloe vera to soothe the burns that the vanilla ending inflicted rather than an attempt to say "this is the REAL ending". Shepard needed to die in order to provide an ending that felt narratively consistent with the themes that carried us through the trilogy (and particularly ME3), but this is an issue with the vanilla ending as well since all my mod is doing is essentially expanding on the existing scene we get in high EMS Destroy showing Shepard surviving. Anyway, this was a fantastic video. It really reminded me of why this series has stuck with me more than anything else. Thank you!

@chriswaves

5 ай бұрын

dude. thank you. this is crucial context, and it makes perfect sense in terms of how/why you'd approach the mod the way you did. truly glad you liked the video.

i think there should be one ending with varying levels of destruction and survival

mass effect is one of, if my all time, faves. i've replayed a few times but never been one to examine things effectively enough to put into words to share, so really enjoyed this video. thanks for the upload

The heartache left in the wake of finishing Mass Effect will never leave me, yet I go back again and again, stubbornly deluding myself that "This time will be different." But... I know it won't, so why????

This is a very, very well made video. Dont know how long it took but glad you made it to the other side of it

I….wow. Just wow. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a video essay touch me in such a deeply personal way. Tw: for Suicide and Family Death So…the last 2 years I’ve kinda been dealing with my own mortality a lot lately. I lost my maternal Grandfather during the New year in 2022. Then that December, on my 31st birthday, I spent 5 days in a mental health facility due to suicidal ideations that I have been fighting on and off through out my life. I’ve spent this last year really trying to deal with my grief, my fear, my pain,and my happiness. Just like you, Mass Effect had found me, or continues to find me, in a very difficult time in my life. Mass Effect has always been a series that gives me so much emotional catharsis. And I think your essay here really REALLY hits the nail on the head with why I’m resonating with it more and more every time I revisit it. ME as a franchise is messy and it’s a beautiful mess. Despite its alien sci-fi setting it’s an innately human story. Flawed, beautiful, and hopeful til the bitter end despite uncertainty . Just….thank you for this. I feel I’m not as coherent with my feelings on this, but this has brought a level of introspection I’ve been needing. And all it took was a video essay on my all time favorite franchise to bring me peace and make me sob uncontrollably in my bed for an hour.

This trilogy oh my lord. Abosolute greatness

I love this. You put into words things I was feeling about this trilogy but could never properly express. Thank you so much for this!

Such an amazing video. After just celebrating my first child’s second birthday morality is something on my mind a lot and this video perfectly communicates all the facets of it. Amazing piece of art

Fantastic video, great job with this.

I wish I could had more Miranda in Mass Effect 3. It bothers me that Liara is essentially forced to be THE romance choice through the trilogy

RE: development of racial/species expression throughout the trilogy. In Mass Effect we (Shepard and humanity) are still very much a fish out of water, taking everything at face value in part because history is, generally, written by the Asari, Salarians, and Turians. It isn't until we delve deeper into working with our squadmates in ME2 that we begin to notice these perceived biological differences are actually cultural, eventually culminating in the Rannoch story of all things.

All of this is why my favorite ending is actually the "Refusal" which I think was added by the Citadel DLC. It's gut wrenching, because you literally have to give up all that catharsis of the big, emotional ending with swelling music and seeing your surviving friends carry on. You literally have to accept that you, and they, and everyone and everything you experienced and fought for in the entire game just dies off screen, probably thinking they'd failed. But it's the best ending, because it contextualizes all the weaknesses of disambiguating the Reapers as you seeing through their bullshit. They really are just broken robots. And you shouldn't let their flawed perceptions dictate your own. It epitomizes the themes of hope, self-determination, sacrifice, progress through community, and death. And it is a great example of salvation through helping others. Because even though you were too late to really, truly stop the Reapers, the next cycle would do just that, and create something new and thriving and peaceful. All because you chose not to hold on to "your" playthrough, but instead offer up your experiences to help a new generation.

Amazing video! I've played the trilogy over 6 times but I still gained more emotional understanding from this

Excellent video essay and thematic review. Really made me think about it. Well done.

20:04 Why do you hurt me like that! My poor Tali 😢

Despite it all, despite all the slip ups and nitpicks, what some would call mistakes, we still remember Mass Effect. The Bad is what makes the good more pronounced, and the themes and philosophy only further enriches the story. Brilliant video.

This was PHENOMENALLY well put together. You also helped put into words why I play this game the way I do and always have since I was a teenager. Thanks for this.

I have been playing this game since September 2023. It has helped me cope with my mother's illness that she won't recover from. Anyone that says that video games are crap are missing something that help one's mental health. Also this game has you question your own morals with the choices that one has to make. It is a good game.

"You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it." "Oh yeah? Well you can fight like a Krogan or run like a leopard, but you'll never be as good as Commander Shepard."

i think it is 37 mins in at the hospital but that asari talks about her seeing jokers sister die

The first time I played Mass Effect was when the legendary edition came out, my mom bought it for me because she had played it when it first came out in 2007. I modelled my first Shepard after her, and for the first game I tried to play how my mother is. But about halfway through ME2 Shepard became mine, I started playing her like me. The playthrough wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was one that I was proud of. I did the best I could with zero knowledge of the games. And then I finished ME3 and I sobbed for genuinely three hours straight. I went back to my last save and tried to find a way to save my Shepard. It turns out I was about ten assets away from the “best” destroy ending, and it sucked. But I didn’t go back to change the ending anymore. It wouldn’t be right. I’ve had more runs, but they weren’t ever mine. My Shepard gave her life to fight, but it doesn’t mean her fight wasn’t worth anything. She hoped and loved and won. That’s the point. Death makes everything have a meaning. I think your video really encapsulates all my thoughts on the series, bravo to you.

Man, this video makes me want to play the trilogy again for the let's see 1,2,3,4,9th time. I just don't want to watch my friends die again.

Who in their right mind criticizes the beginning of ME3? It's one of the most haunting moments in gaming history. To this day I can't listen to "Leaving Earth" without this sense of loss and despair... And I really like the pacing of this beginning. It starts a little slow and then turns the dial up to 11. And you don't get to catch a break for a long while... If you romanced the Virmire-survivor, it get's even more impactful... I just got him back (at least somehow), after he struggled with my coming-back-from-death-and-start-working-for-the-bad-company-stunt - and now he's severely injured and possibly dying right in front of me, while I still had no time to process the loss of my planet and the guilt for leaving my fatherly mentor behind. It's a lot! Therefore I never really had a problem with the nightmares and the ghost child. I've always seen this as a manifestation of Shepards trauma. (At least till the end. That's when this child begins to grate my nerves. I end your f***ing cycle! I did not come here and lost my friends and Anderson for you to talk, as if there wasn't an entire galaxy dying out there!) Maybe it's because I'm a little bit older and a mother, but I recognized the problem with the genophage from the beginning. I've seen the impact miscarriages or involuntary infertility had on people. To imagine, an entire race facing this? It's no wonder, the Krogans are how they are. Like Eve says, they have nothing to live for. (As a race I mean. It's totally okay, if individuals don't look for parenthood. But ultimately, without children, societies face extinction. So, I always scoff a little at Mordins "it's not a genocide", because it totally is. Just a slow and cruel one.) And, Tali and Garrus belong together!

@chriswaves

4 ай бұрын

I love this comment and completely agree on all major points. also love that your perspective as a mother kept you from buying into Mordin's b.s. also the Virmire romance is great, Kaidan especially! his acting was great. and I honestly think Jack would have been the best romance if she got to be a squadmate in 3. for me, though, it just comes down to Liz Sroka's performance as Tali. her vocal inflections and chemistry were just off the charts!

@dorottyapapp

6 күн бұрын

I went through something similar in my first playthrough with the Kaidan romance. The only thing that got me through ME2 was that hopefully someday we will reunite again. (I absolutely hate that they forced us to work with Cerberus and took our player agency away by not letting us at least agree with the Virmire survivor on Horizon...) And then finally Kaidan is there on Earth too. When James asked whether he knows the Commander and he said: "I used too." It broke my heart. And the game didn't let me tell him that you still do, because I'm still the same. Then he almost gets killed under my watch... Also, I chose Synthesis, sacrificed myself for the galaxy, because it's the ruthless calculus of war. My first reaction was: I'm sorry Kaidan! I'm sorry I made you mourn me twice. But it had to be me... It wasn't just an emotional rollercoaster, it was a guilt trip.

I have watched this a total of five times since it came out a month ago. This has weirdly become my tism comfort video. Not sure why.

Fantastic video btw. So well made. Got me very emotional.

Wild how POC coded half this universe is was lost on basically all gamers.

On my current playthrough I created a Shepard with the SOLE purpose of saving the Quarians & the Geth. I thought my paragon score was high enough. It wasn't. Back to the drawing board.............(no help please, the less I know, the more reason I have to go back and play the thing)

Bro why am i emotional in only the intro

I was listening to this in the background while doing other stuff. But the second Tali finding her dead father comes up I almost started to cry. Thats how hard Mass Effect hits you.

I F*CK*NG LOVE MASS EFFECT 1 AND 2! I'm still recovering from my disappointment of ME3...

@reggiestockton8166

5 ай бұрын

3 was the best one. Only the endings were bad. But after my 9th playthrough they've started to grow on me 😂

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing this and making this.

Now, now, Mordin's work on the genophage explicitly wouldn't have resulted in Krogan extinction...

@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem

Ай бұрын

Given the birth rate of Krogan females, it would lead to a perfectly sustainable population (assuming other factors like the male/female pop. ratio and deaths aren't unsustainable). A female can have a thousand children a year. 1/1000 still means a child a year. Given the fact that Krogan have extremely long lives, that's a lot of kids.

@pitadude9836

Ай бұрын

@@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem 100%

@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem

Ай бұрын

@@pitadude9836 I want to point out that I am not a complete supporter of the genophage, though. I see it as necessary at the time it was deployed, but it should have been cured long ago with a proper solution to the problem found. I say the solution is a leader like Wrex or Bakara, rather than the Wreave type ones they have had for centuries during and since the Krogan Rebellions.

@pitadude9836

Ай бұрын

@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem pretty much the take Mordin had. Based on available data and Krogan trends at the time, additional conflict seemed inevitable. Without Wrex or Bakara those projections would likely come true after the cure, based on the behaviors exhibited by other Krogan leaders through ME2 and 3

@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem

Ай бұрын

@@pitadude9836 Yep.

The thing most saddens me about this game is the same feeling i get when i finish reading a book or watching a movie series where i cared more and more about the characters as the story moved on. That emptiness when you realize that you won't be seeing this cast in a new adventure or together ever again. Every time i think of this trilogy, i just get sad that i won't be seeing this virtual, fucked up family again.

@chriswaves

3 ай бұрын

i like to call it an "art hangover."

Javik's mission was to make sure the prothean race survives the harvest.

This is a phenomenal video. I never finidhed ME3. I played the first couple missions, but did so years after its release because I didn't own a 360 and had played ME2 on someone else's. I had heard all about the bad ending and at the time, asked myself if finishing it was even worth it. At the time, I decided no, and left it at that, making up my own ending in my head - one that let Shepherd finally rest with a heroic sacrifice. Great work, man.

What an insightful and wonderful video. You just got yourself a subscriber my dude!

I will confirm that Tali is the best romance in the game. And yes he did say that in the video 😊

As Cole teaches us; yes Legion. The question is the answer.

Your first few opening lines hit so hard man I was the same low sense of self and confidence and other things but in mass effect your Shepard this amazing person who everyone loves an respects Anderson’s speech alone enough said 😢😢

This was fucking amazing and so well analyzed. Needs way more people watching this. ❤❤

ME3 is my fave of the series and it also really triggers my C-PTSD. I'm so glad to find a video essay about how incredible and emotional ME3 is. As a Puerto Rican, I see the genophage more akin to what the US government does at home than abroad with its own sterilization programs here. The US government has a long history of using minorities in experiments that rob them of their fertility. And in the case of Puerto Ricans, the US government used them to create birth control to be sold to US citizens on the mainland. And then government turned around and sterilized, forcibly, those Puerto Ricans. We also have like the highest enlistment rate. I think you can see where I'm going with this. And we aren't the only minority group the US government has done this too. Edit: finishing this after Aaron Bushnell's incredible act of protest made "does this unit have a soul" hit harder than it already does

@chriswaves

2 ай бұрын

horrified that I never knew about this, and I agree; the genophage also has echoes of things like the Tuskegee experiments etc. so many people on the mainland still don't know that PR is a part of our country

@ExternalDialogue

2 ай бұрын

Oh... wow... yeah that is a horrifyingly close to the conditions and outcomes of the genophage.